The Story of the Seventh Magus: Trials of a Hero
by Starbucksmocha
Summary: PostOotP, slash HarryDraco version of thedreamer4's The Awakening of a Magus. After having gone through one of the most tragic experiences of his life, Harry returns to Privet Drive for the summer. However, there was more to the prophecy than anyo
1. Yet another event in the life of Harry P

Title: The Story of the Seventh Magus: Trials of a Hero

Author: Starbucksmocha

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything affiliated with it belongs to the amazing Ms. Rowling. Some of the ideas in this story come from the-dreamer4's fabulous work of fiction, The Awakening of a Magus. I own nothing except the Harry Potter books and my imagination that created this!

Rating: R (I doubt the story deserves an R rating, but just in case...)

Summary: With the prophecy and Sirius's death weighing heavily on his mind, he returns to Privet Drive for the summer. However, there was more to the prophecy than anyone had realized. Follow Harry as he struggles with the newest revelation in his life. Harry could never have imagined his sixth year at Hogwarts to be like this...

Author's Note: Please read! This story is a post-OotP, slash (Harry/Draco) "version" of the-dreamer4's The Awakening of a Magus. Therefore, there will be parts that are very similar to hers, simply because this is sort of a spin-off of her work. For those of you who have already read The Awakening of a Magus, please bear with me - the story will be different from hers once the basics are in place. If you have not yet read the-dreamer4's story, go do so because it is a great read.

I'm Canadian and so I apologize in advance for uses of slang that will undoubtedly occur in this story. Once again, please note that there will be SLASH. If that's not your cup of tea, then please don't read it! I welcome reviews and criticism as long as it is constructive so please let me know what you think!

Huge thanks to my betas, cadpig and Brittany for betaing this story for me. However, they haven't looked at the final copy of this chapter yet so I apologize if there are any mistakes. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

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**Chapter One: Yet another event in the life of Harry Potter**

Harry smiled as he spotted a grinning Sirius running towards him out of the corner of his eye. Laughing, Harry turned towards his godfather to greet him with a hug when the scene suddenly changed to that of the Department of Mysteries. He saw Bellatrix hit Sirius with a spell and witnessed his beloved godfather falling through the veil. He heard him scream, begging for Harry to help him…

And Harry Potter woke up in the smallest bedroom in number four Privet Drive, shaking and sweating, his godfather's screams still ringing in his ears.

* * *

Every night in the weeks since Harry had returned to the Dursleys for the summer, he had relived the events that occurred at the Department of Mysteries. Lately, Harry had taken to working himself into exhaustion, hoping that he would be too tired to dream. It hadn't worked so far.

Not wanting to remember, Harry got out of bed and stood by the window to stare out at the still dark sky. It had become his favourite pastime as of late – the vast and seemingly endless heavens somehow eased his many burdens and lifted his spirits a little. He needed that, especially after yet another dream of Sirius's death.

_Sirius… _

Harry sighed. Although logically he knew that the blame lay with Voldemort and Bellatrix, the guilt he felt remained. Dumbledore thought his innate goodness and his strong ability to love, despite or perhaps because of the tragedies he suffered throughout his young life, was likely the reasons he felt guilty even for the things he had no control over. Knowing the why though did not make Harry feel better nor did it lessen the feelings of guilt. While he may not have cast the spell that ultimately ended his godfather's life, he had been the one that fell for the trap. Had it not been for his foolishness and "Gryffindor stupidity", he had no doubts that Sirius would still be alive. Harry vowed to never let something like that happen again – he would not let anyone else suffer the consequences of his rash actions.

Thinking about the Department of Mysteries invariably brought on the memory of his first week back at Privet Drive. The entire week had been spent in complete isolation, Harry having all but locked himself in his cousin Dudley's second bedroom. With the exception of sending off the required "I'm fine" letters to the Order every three days, he did nothing but think about Sirius and the prophecy. It wasn't until the week was nearly over that he recalled casting the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix Lestrange, something that had him thoroughly terrified. Even though it didn't work – his "righteous anger" not nearly strong enough to effectively cause his victim pain – the thought that he was angry and out of control enough to cast such a curse had been more than enough for him to turn to Dumbledore for help. At that moment, the only thing that had mattered was his long-standing fear of turning into a Voldemort.

Dumbledore immediately came to Privet Drive after receiving Harry's owl, and Harry remembered how proud the old wizard had been of him. "Harry, my boy, that you came to me about this, even as angry and hurt as you are, proves why you will never be like Voldemort. Remember what I told you, Harry: it is our choices that show what we truly are. You cast a terrible curse in the heat of the moment, but unlike Tom, you regretted your actions and chose to turn away from the darkness. That is why, Harry, I don't fear for you as I have feared for Tom."

With Harry's worries put to rest for the moment, he and Dumbledore talked, their conversation having been long overdue, in light of the revelations in Dumbledore's office. Harry let everything out: his frustration and helplessness, as well as the fury he felt at the world, at Dumbledore, and at himself. He screamed and yelled and spoke and whispered until his voice grew hoarse and there was nothing left to say. Exhausted, Harry collapsed onto his bed and Dumbledore held him gently in his arms as Harry finally broke down and let the tears flow. A lifetime of loneliness, grief, pain and burdens were released, given into the gentle loving care of a man who had watched out for him in some way from the moment of his birth. And whose only crime, really, was being human and thus fallible.

Since then, Harry and Dumbledore spoke often. At first, their conversations had been stilted and awkward, especially when Dumbledore took over the Occlumency lessons from Snape and anything that remotely troubled Harry was ultimately revealed, since Harry had trouble hiding his thoughts at first. But Dumbledore never purposely sought out embarrassing or painful memories Harry had, one of the reasons why Harry felt, if not comfortable, then more willing to share them with the older wizard. Eventually, the awkwardness faded away and they became comfortable around each other. Dumbledore even became something akin to a father for Harry. And thanks to Dumbledore's gentle, if sometimes infuriating, nature and patient understanding, Harry learned to deal with the implications of the prophecy. Harry doubted he would ever be happy with his lot in life, but at least he was no longer furious at the world for the tremendous burden placed on his already too-heavy shoulders, and understood and accepted his destiny, however reluctantly.

Harry was immensely grateful that Dumbledore decided to teach Harry himself instead. While Harry no longer blamed Snape for Sirius's death, he still despised the greasy git and was glad he didn't have to put up with the abuse from the dour Potions master. Besides, Dumbledore was a far better teacher than Snape could ever hope to be. Without Snape's unhelpful orders – clearing his mind had never worked, seeing as how Snape never quite explained to Harry how to do so – thanks to Dumbledore's more useful instructions, Harry quickly learned to protect his mind.

Harry closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the cool window. He knew he should tell Dumbledore that he had trouble sleeping, but he didn't want the older wizard to worry. Harry knew Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix had their hands full, working in conjunction with the Aurors to stop seemingly random Death Eater attacks against Muggles. Besides, since he wasn't sleeping as much, he found he had more time to focus on his training, something he had become almost fanatical about in the weeks since he'd been back at Privet Drive.

After Cornelius Fudge publicly admitted to Voldemort's return, his incompetence and vendetta against Harry and Dumbledore for speaking the truth continued to make the front page news in the_ Daily Prophet_, despite all attempts by Fudge to get the paper to focus on other issues. No one, it seemed, remembered that it was the_ Prophet_ that published all the defaming articles against the "Boy Who Lived", the purported saviour of the wizarding world, and Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of modern times, in the first place. And absolutely everyone insisted that they had known all along that Harry and Dumbledore were telling the truth. The wizards and witches of Britain demanded Fudge be removed as the Minister for Magic; so, with his job in jeopardy, Fudge did the only thing he could – he begged Dumbledore for help.

Since the last thing the wizarding world needed was political instability, Dumbledore agreed to support Fudge – as long as he granted everything the older wizard requested. Not having much of a choice, Fudge grudgingly agreed. He promised to stop interfering with Hogwarts. Arthur Weasley became the liaison between the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Order of the Phoenix, coordinating the two main forces against Voldemort. Fudge granted Harry a waiver, allowing him many adult privileges, such as Apparition and the use of magic over the summer. He even pardoned Sirius with compensation for the twelve years the animagus spent in Azkaban, though it had been too late. Of course, Fudge scheduled a huge press conference and told them all he was doing in his efforts to stop Lord Thingy with the help of Dumbledore and the "Boy Who Lived". To his credit as a politician, his ratings went through the roof.

As the sky slowly began to brighten, Harry moved away from the window and quickly got dressed before quietly making his way down the stairs to make breakfast for himself. Knowing his relatives would be up soon, he hurried. While the Dursleys had been on their best behaviour so far thanks to threats from Moody and the Order, Harry nonetheless did not want to be around his relatives unnecessarily. In the weeks since he'd been back at Privet Drive, Harry had yet to have been in the same room as the Dursleys. They took their meals at separate times, and since Harry had no chores, he was mostly out in the backyard training, or in his room, reading. It was an ideal arrangement for all involved, and something Harry had no desire to wreck.

With few flicks of his wand, Harry got the spatula and the frying pan making eggs, bacon and sausages. As he put the toast in the toaster oven, he once again mentally thanked Hermione for the books: some on conjuring and practical household magic, although most were on magical theory and defence. She had found majority of them at number twelve Grimmauld Place, although she sent a few from her own collection as well when she had found out about his waiver.

Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys (except for Charlie, who was in Romania and Percy, who had not yet returned to the family) were staying at Grimmauld Place for the summer. Voldemort, furious at the loss he suffered at the Department of Mysteries, had his Death Eaters destroy The Burrow. Luckily, no one had been home – Fred and George had been at Diagon Alley with Ron and Ginny; Bill had been on a mission for the Order; Arthur had been at the Ministry and Molly had been at the Headquarters. In light of the disaster, Hermione's parents left for the States temporarily, although Hermione opted to stay behind to finish her schooling at Hogwarts with her best friends, despite her parents' objections.

For a while, Harry had tried to distance himself from his friends and even tried to convince Hermione to transfer to Salem Witches' Institute in America. He had to be involved in the war – it was his destiny after all – but his friends didn't have to be. His closeness to them put them all in danger and Harry wanted them to be safe. Hermione, Ron and Ginny, however, put that notion to rest with a Howler. With very loud insistence that they had been a target before and they are still a target now and they will continue to be a target whether or not they were friends with him, they ignored Harry's arguments, letting them fall on deaf ears. They told him quite clearly that they weren't going to simply stand by and watch Harry get himself into trouble. And although Harry was still worried, he was partly relieved. His friends were important to him and he was glad they were still in his life.

Keeping an eye on the food, he quickly made himself some freshly squeezed orange juice. He placed everything on his plate and levitated it along with the utensils onto the kitchen table. Knowing his lesson would begin soon, he began to eat quickly and he was about halfway through when Aunt Petunia came down. Seeing him, she froze for a minute then she merely sniffed, stuck her nose up in the air as though he were beneath her notice and began to shuffle around the kitchen, making breakfast for Vernon and her _Ickle Diddykins_. For the umpteenth time, Harry wondered how she could possibly be related to his mother, Lily.

The Durselys acted like Harry wasn't sitting with them at the table – which was just fine with him. Ignoring his presence was far more preferable than their treatment of him in the years prior. Ignoring his fat cousin's envious glances at his plate (Dudley was still on a diet), he softly said, "_Evanesco,_" before levitating his now empty plate, cup and utensils back into the kitchen. Rolling his eyes at their looks of fear (Dumbledore had already assured them that Harry wouldn't curse them unless he was provoked), Harry stepped out into the backyard that they had been using as a training arena (under wards and charms to keep the training from being seen and heard, of course) to wait for his trainer of the day.

Though he was by no means up to the standards of the Aurors, he was definitely improving. When Harry had first duelled with various members of the Order, he had barely lasted five minutes. Now though, after weeks of lessons, he could hold his own for about half an hour, something he was incredibly proud of.

It was during yet another gruelling match with Dumbledore himself when things became interesting. All throughout the lesson Harry had felt uneasy, but he wasn't sure why. It looked as if a storm was brewing, but there wasn't supposed to be any rain that week. Since Dumbledore didn't seem to notice that anything was amiss, thinking it to be all in his head, Harry continued to focus on the new spell Dumbledore was teaching him.

When they had begun to duel, Harry was on the defence as usual, firing off spells whenever he could. He had just lost his wand to Dumbledore when lightning suddenly struck a huge tree on the other side of the yard. The tree began to fall towards the house and Harry saw that it was going to hit the kitchen – where Aunt Petunia sat reading one of her gossip magazines while Dudley and Uncle Vernon were watching the television, completely unaware of the dangers heading towards them. Despite how the Dursleys had treated him for almost fifteen years and his oft-dreamed wish of seeing them get their just desserts, Harry didn't want any of them to be hurt. He reached out, as if to somehow stop the tree from hitting the house, yelling, "NO!" A beam of white light shot out from his hand, engulfing the tree, and in the next moment, both the tree and the light disappeared as though they had never existed.

Harry stood, surrounded by the white light, frozen in shock at what he had just done. The storm clouds disappeared and Harry's legs gave out moments after. As he fought to remain conscious, he heard Dumbledore speak excitedly.

"Oh, my dear boy! I should have expected something like this would happen! It explains so much!"

Harry, once he was sure he wouldn't faint, stood up carefully. "Sir? What just happened? What did I do?" Harry was trying his best to not panic, but it was difficult when he could feel an incredible amount of power flowing through his veins. It took everything in him to stay calm, lest he unleash the magic within him.

Dumbledore's eyes, if it were possible, seemed to twinkle even more. "I'm afraid this isn't the best place to talk, Harry. We need to get you relocated to Hogwarts immediately." Dumbledore flicked his wand to disable all the wards and charms around the backyard. "Well, shall we?"

Harry, even though he was afraid that something had happened to him once again, was excited at the prospect of leaving the Dursleys to return to Hogwarts, the only home he had ever known. Harry quickly ran inside, and chuckling at Harry's enthusiasm, Dumbledore followed.

Harry opened up the cupboard, his home until five years ago, to pull out his Firebolt and his empty trunk. Dumbledore looked at the small cupboard that he'd heard about from Harry during their many conversations over the summer. He shook his head at how cramped it must have been, even for a small child. Although Harry had understood his need to be placed with his Muggle relatives for his protection, Dumbledore couldn't help but once again doubt over his decision to place him here almost fifteen years ago. Releasing a deep breath and putting the past where it belonged – in the past – he waited as Harry headed upstairs with his belongings floating behind him before following him to his current room.

Harry quickly packed up everything and placed them in his trunk. Letting Hedwig out of her cage, he told her to go ahead and meet him at Hogwarts. Hooting in agreement, she flew out the window and he shrunk her cage as well as his Firebolt and placed them both in his pocket along with his trunk.

"Harry, since you will never have to return to Privet Drive again, you should tell the Dursleys goodbye before you leave."

Harry's eyes lit with delight, thrilled he would never have to return. Though he was still confused as to what was going on, his joy overrode his curiosity and Harry all but ran downstairs to where his 'family' was still gathered, having been shocked into stillness at the sudden entry of Harry and Dumbledore.

"Well, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley, I'm leaving now and you probably won't ever see me again. I'd like to say I'd miss you, but I'd be lying. Aunt Petunia, I came here as a helpless baby, your nephew, and you've treated me no better than you would a criminal. Actually, I'm pretty sure a criminal would have faired better – at least he would have been fed and clothed properly in prison."

Vernon's face, which had been showing delight at the prospect of never seeing his freakish nephew again, turned various shades of red and purple as Harry continued to speak. Not willing to take such insolence from a mere boy, and a freak at that, he stepped forward and raised his arm to punch the boy. Harry reached up with both of his hands to block his uncle's fist, though he knew it was a futile gesture. However, Vernon's fist never made contact with Harry's head – his beefy arm stopped as though it had hit a wall when his fist hit Harry's palms, his face first registering shock and then pain as he howled, clutching his now limp hand closer to him. Vernon snarled in anger but was prevented from doing anything as Harry had his wand aimed right between his eyes. Vernon paled and Dudley whimpered in fear as he unsuccessfully cowered behind his mother. Dumbledore gently reached for Harry and turned his fury onto the man who had tried to hit the child whom he thought of as his own flesh and blood.

"Vernon Dursley!" Dumbledore said imperiously, his anger barely leashed. Harry saw something he had seen only once before, the fire hidden within the kindly Headmaster, the power that even Voldemort feared. "Fifteen years ago, I thought that leaving Harry with you was better than his growing up among wizards as a figure of legend. I will tell you something that very few people have ever heard… I was wrong. You no longer have the obligation to see to your nephew."

Ignoring the Dursleys, Dumbledore disabled the wards on number four Privet Drive. "We must go, Harry. Just Apparate to Hogwarts – you will be guided to the gathering point outside the wards automatically."

Glancing back at the Dursleys, Harry spoke to them. "Goodbye. In spite of everything, have a good life, whatever that means to you." They then Disapparated from Privet Drive, leaving behind happy, but slightly fearful Dursleys.


	2. I'm a what?

I'm so glad to see that you liked the first chapter! Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews! Please keep them coming!

The answers to few of the questions:

**RickSt** - I thought the same thing! I was hoping someone else would take it and turn it into H/D but then no one did so I decided to do it myself. Hopefully I'll be able to do her story justice!

**Earthwytch** - I have no intention of discontinuing this story! I have it all planned out, including their seventh year at Hogwarts!

**Jim B** - I'm flattered that my story is the first one you've reviewed! I hope I'll be able to meet your expectations. And the reason I chose white instead of purple was that I didn't really like purple on Harry. It doesn't go with his green eyes, in my opinion.

**chelchan** - The chapters will get longer and yes, everything will be answered in this chapter (hopefully).

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**Chapter Two: I'm a what? **

When Dumbledore disabled the wards on number four Privet Drive, an alarm rang at Arabella Figg's house as well as at Grimmauld Place. Arabella, seeing that nothing looked amiss, fire-called the Order Headquarters.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

Moody was the first to answer. "What's going on over there? How many Death Eaters have we got?"

"None. Everything looks fine and there isn't any presence of Dark Magic. And before you even ask, Mad-Eye, my equipment is not faulty."

"The wards weren't broken through by Death Eaters? Then it must have been Dumbledore who had done so – he's training with Harry today," said Remus, interrupting Arabella. Remus Lupin, who had left to deal with his grief over Sirius's death almost immediately after he had seen Harry off with his relatives for the summer, had finally returned to London a few days ago. While Remus was by no means over the death of his best friend, he was dealing and trying to move on with his life.

Just then, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys rushed into the living room. "What's happening? Is Harry okay?"

As the bewildered chatter rose to a fevered pitch, Moody had had enough. "Quiet! Potter's fine – he's under Dumbledore's care. They're probably at Hogwarts since they're not here yet. Lupin and Tonks, you're with me. The rest of you, stay here!"

Ignoring the vast protests, Moody activated the Portkey that would take them directly to the Headmaster's office. Arabella, not one to take orders (especially from Moody at that), Flooed, leaving the Weasleys and Hermione to worry about what was going on.

* * *

Harry and Dumbledore appeared at the gathering point just outside the defensive wards of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Seeing the blurred view, Harry took off his glasses to see if they were damaged in any way and found he could see perfectly without them. Feeling apprehensive, he looked up at Dumbledore to ask what was happening when he realized that something was different. _Did Dumbledore get shorter? _"Bloody hell! Did I get taller?" Harry gasped out while Dumbledore chuckled merrily at the bewildered expression on his favourite student's face, his eyes twinkling away madly in amusement. 

"It seems as though your magic took advantage of your Apparition to speed up your physical changes, my boy. It's quite impressive, actually. Here, see for yourself." Dumbledore conjured a mirror for Harry and continued with his explanation. "As you know, between the time that a wizard's body is _here_ and _there_, there is a fraction of an instant when the wizard is pure energy. The body reforms after, but your magic chose to reform you a bit… differently."

Harry stared into the mirror, surprise evident on his features. He was now about six feet tall and his clothes were much too short. The muscles that could barely be seen before were now quite prominently displayed. He was bigger… all over! It had been unsettling enough to discover that he was suddenly stronger than normal; now he looked like it. Harry groaned though as he noticed the state of his hair. While it had grown a bit, it unfortunately looked as it always had – messy and untameable. Plus, he was disappointed to note that even with the sudden growth spurt, he lacked any facial hair. Still, Harry took comfort in the fact that he would no longer be the shortest boy in his year. Being that short was embarrassing enough for a 'normal' boy, but Harry – as he had often been told was not normal by any means – was a 'hero' after all and needed to look the part.

With a flick of his wand and a quietly muttered spell that Harry didn't catch, Dumbledore enlarged Harry's clothes (including his trainers) so that they fit comfortably, although the material became much thinner and coarser. Nodding at Dumbledore gratefully, Harry once again looked back into the mirror. He stared at his eyes, his sparkling, intensely green eyes he had been told countless times looked exactly like his mother's, no longer covered by the eyeglasses he had worn since he was seven years old when his teacher and the principal had forced Uncle Vernon to buy them for him. They had been the cheapest pair his uncle could find and had been much too big for a child, but his uncle had not wanted to spend more money on him by purchasing him another pair when he grew older. He remembered how they kept falling off his face (although not always due to its size) and the sellotape that constantly covered them. Somehow knowing that his life would never be the same again, that this was a new beginning filled with possibilities, he threw the glasses with all his might at the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore looked at him with a gentle expression full of understanding and Harry genuinely smiled for the first time in weeks. Following Dumbledore's example, Harry mounted his broom and flew towards the entrance of Hogwarts.

They had just entered Dumbledore's office when Harry found himself being squished by a relieved werewolf who looked less gaunt than usual thanks to Molly's cooking, although he was still far too pale in Harry's opinion. Harry sadly noted that with even more grey in his hair and extra lines on his face, Lupin looked older than his thirty-seven years.

It took Remus a moment to realize something was different about the boy who was his last link to the Marauders (Wormtail didn't count, in Remus's opinion). He pulled away and felt his jaw drop as he took in Harry's changed appearance. Harry was taller and broader, his figure thickened with well-defined muscle, though not overly bulging as a bodybuilder's would be – it was more like one of those male models that Muggle magazines often had pictures of. Even though Harry never cared much about his appearance and often tried to make himself look worse than he was (a complete opposite of James), Remus knew many still considered him to be decent, if not handsome – without his horrid glasses, at least. It hadn't been a surprise – after all, he looked so much like his father and James had always been a favourite among the girls. But now, it was a completely different story. Harry was gorgeous, even breathtaking! Without his glasses, his eyes seemed much more intense, "greener" than Remus had ever seen them. Although he could tell Harry was embarrassed to be under such scrutiny if his blushing features were any indication, his stance didn't show that at all. The way Harry held himself… It was no longer that of a young boy he had seen at the beginning of summer, but one of a young man who knew he had little to fear. Remus wondered if Harry himself noticed the difference, if he noticed the elegance and smoothness of even the slightest movement of his body.

"Harry?" Remus sputtered out, but before he could continue, he heard a thud and turned to see that Tonks had fainted and that the rest weren't fairing much better.

Severus's face, which had briefly shown surprise at seeing a changed Harry Potter, immediately formed back into a scowl that had been on his face ever since Moody had arrived at Hogwarts. He had been working on improving the Wolfsbane Potion when Moody had suddenly barged into his lab and basically ordered him to appear at the Headmaster's office. He had gotten into a bitter argument with the paranoid man and in the process had ended up blowing up his cauldrons like a foolish Longbottom.

Severus had been tired and extremely angry at himself ever since his carelessness had gotten Goyle Sr. and his wife killed, leaving him to barely escape with his life. While he was no longer a part of the Death Eaters, he still had connections within He Who Must Not Be Named's ranks. Not only were the supporters his former classmates and acquaintances, but he did his best to appear sympathetic to their causes. He continued to supply them with rare and difficult potions and in return, he was sometimes let in on the Dark Lord's plans. As a consummate Slytherin, it was easy for him to get information from the newly recruited Death Eaters who often boasted about what they knew, or the dim-witted ones that made up most of the Dark Lord's forces. Although he wasn't the brightest of the bunch, Goyle Sr. was very well-informed of Death Eater activities, something Severus had been hoping to take advantage of.

Severus, when he arrived that night for dinner, had found Goyle and his wife having second thoughts about remaining involved in the Dark Lord's service. He found out that Goyle had not attend the Department of Mysteries battle and that his son had left the Inquisitorial Squad for that very reason. Goyle had somehow found out that Severus was a spy for Dumbledore and wanted him to relay their change of loyalty to the older wizard. Smart enough to know that he could never fool the Dark Lord enough to be a spy, Goyle promised to fight against the Dark Lord as long as he and his family were guaranteed Dumbledore's protection.

Severus, having been in shock, had been completely caught off guard when the dinner was suddenly crashed by few of the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself. Severus had been hit by the Cruciatus Curse before he could use the emergency Portkey; fortunately, the Death Eater who cursed him was too inexperienced to hold it for long – Snape had been able to escape, but not before seeing the green light of the Killing Curse heading straight for Goyle and his wife.

Goyle Jr., spared since he hadn't been home that night, moved to his uncle's home in Germany, seemingly away from the Dark Lord's reach. Snape, of course, blamed himself for the boy's situation – had he been more careful and put up even a Silencing Charm, then Gregory would still have his parents.

This, Moody's unfair accusations and a ruined potion had further placed him in a foul mood and thus he was completely out of patience and unable to deal with whatever mess the resident celebrity had once again gotten himself into. He was all but ready to tear into Potter when Dumbledore interrupted, making him bitterly swallow whatever he was going to say.

"It's good that you're all here – now I only have to say this once. I have permanently removed Harry from the Dursleys – he will remain in my care. As you can all see, Harry is quite well. He has had a magical growth spurt and I will be training him here at Hogwarts for the rest of the summer. Now, if you would please excuse us? Harry and I have much to talk about."

Though surprised, they all obeyed their leader and left the office, leaving behind a bewildered Harry with Dumbledore. "Is that why I've changed? Because I'm having a magical growth spurt?" Harry finally asked, unable to hold back his questions now that they were alone in the privacy of the Headmaster's office.

"Yes and no, Harry. Do you know what a magical growth spurt is?" Seeing Harry shake his head, Dumbledore continued. "Wizards and witches, even before they are born, have a certain amount of magical potential. Some have more than others, and not everyone is able to reach their full potential. For most wizards and witches, the amount of magic that they have when they reach the age of seventeen will remain the same for the rest of their lives.

"There are, however, occasions when a person has a magical growth spurt. Their magic and their potential grow, expanding beyond what they previously had access to. Some may reach their previous potential; others may even exceed it. But in each case, the growth spurt transforms their bodies, sometimes dramatically, so that they can handle the excess magic flowing through them. I was one of the few who were privileged and burdened with the magical growth spurt, and I luckily was strong enough to defeat Grindelwald.

"Tom Riddle, as you know, was a brilliant student. He had an immense magical potential, but he was not as powerful as he wanted to be. When he couldn't trigger a magical growth spurt in himself, he used Dark Magic and horrific rituals to alter his very being so that he could gain more power. By the time he finished, he exceeded my own abilities.

"But you, my boy, are a Magus, the seventh and the youngest one in history. A Magus is an extremely powerful wizard. The Magus transformation – an awakening, as it is called – is very much like a magical growth spurt, in that your power levels increase. However, as you undoubtedly can feel, the increase is much more dramatic than a normal growth spurt, and the potential is even greater. The younger a Magus is at awakening, the greater his potential. Before you, the youngest Magus was Merlin himself, and he was twenty-five years old at awakening."

Dumbledore, pausing to let Harry absorb the information, reached for an aged book on a shelf titled Magi: Fact, Fable, and Everything in Between by Albus Dumbledore. He then handed the book to a still-shocked Harry, who had paled instantly at Dumbledore's implication. After all, if the greatest sorcerer of all time had awakened at twenty-five and he was not yet sixteen… Harry took several deep breaths and forced himself to calm down so that he could continue to listen to Dumbledore.

"The book was published back in 1899 – it contains three years of research into the lives and powers of the first six Magi. The powers of a Magus that set him apart from wizards are called Wild Magic and don't need a wand or incantation – it merely requires the will of a Magus. Although a Magus has a white aura for any magic that is visible, there are spells that can keep much of your magic invisible, to keep your status as a Magus a secret while you learn to fully use and control your powers. The Ministry considers the identity of a Magus, even his existence, to be a highly classified secret, a Code White, and they normally choose a wizard to be the Mentor to the Magus, to assist him in his training. However, at least for now, I would like to keep this from the Ministry. Voldemort has many spies and we cannot let him find out about this, not until you are ready and able to handle the power within you."

"This is what the prophecy meant, isn't it? About _"the power the Dark Lord knows not"_?" Harry stated rather than asked, quietly but firmly.

Dumbledore looked at the young man across from him. Harry, though taller, broader and more confident, was even more burdened than ever. He again wished he could protect Harry from the evil that was after him but knew it would be pointless to do so – Harry had to face his destiny. Holding back from Harry had only resulted in anger and death – he had promised that he would not do so again. "Prophecies are tricky things – their true meanings are often never quite clear and difficult to decipher. But yes, it is my belief that your status as a Magus is what is meant by it."

Harry closed his eyes and tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling as he exhaled sharply. He could feel the indescribable amount of raw power within him, power he could use to defeat Voldemort once and for all. Harry opened his eyes and looking straight into Dumbledore's, he spoke. "I want to learn to harness this power within me. I want you to be my Mentor, to guide me so that I can finally defeat the monster that has ruined so many lives."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'd be honoured to be your Mentor, my Lord Magus."

* * *

"Is Harry alright?" Hermione asked, being the first to have noticed the return of Moody, Remus and Tonks. 

"Yes, Hermione, Harry is fine. Better than fine, actually – it seems as though Harry's gone through a magical growth spurt. He'll be staying at Hogwarts with the Headmaster for the rest of the summer," answered Remus, with a small smile playing on his lips. He couldn't wait to see the rest of the Order and Harry's friends' reactions to the sudden changes. If they were anything like Tonks's, then it was bound to be entertaining.

"A magical growth spurt? Really? I've read all about them – they're supposed to be really rare! This is really great news! Harry can defend himself now! That will come in handy seeing as how he gets into some kind of a trouble with Voldemort every year."

Ignoring the winces Voldemort's name caused, Hermione supplied information to a confused Ron Weasley and the others gathered around to eat the meal Molly had prepared (she had been cooking up a storm to take her mind off of Harry and the possible dangers he had once again gotten himself into). However, Mad-Eye continued to stand in the corner of the kitchen, pondering over what he'd seen in Albus's office. He thought for sure he'd seen Harry have a white aura, but it had disappeared almost immediately after he had noticed it. Either his magical eye was faulty, or the more likely explanation – Albus was hiding something.

* * *

"Harry, the book I gave you also has several rituals and spells that you will find most useful. Since Magi abilities include improved reading and comprehension skills, I would like you to read through the book now. The sooner we perform the Quadralis ritual to establish a Mentor Bond, the bond between a Magus and his Mentor, the better it will be." 

Harry looked at the 300+ page work sceptically. He doubted he could finish it all by the end of the night let alone that quickly, but didn't protest. Dumbledore's eyes gleamed in delight as he saw that as Harry became more engrossed in the book, he began to turn the pages faster and faster until he was spending less than a second per page absorbing the information. Dumbledore had no doubts that all of Harry's abilities would easily surpass even those of Merlin, the greatest of the six Magi. Unfortunately, that also made things more difficult. Harry's body, though it had changed, hadn't undergone nearly enough transformation for him to easily wield the full extent of his vast powers. Dumbledore inwardly shuddered as he remembered what happened to Liam Magus. At the age of seventy, he had been the oldest one to be awakened and he had died after having spent far too much power, forced by the Ministry of Magic to save more people than he could handle. The Ministry had fortunately learned from their mistake and created new laws regarding Magi. Still, Dumbledore wasn't about to let Harry be forced to make impossible choices, not until he had to. It was better for all involved if only a few people knew about Harry's new status as a Magus.

Dumbledore was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed that Harry had finished the book. Harry, meanwhile, was in a complete daze – it had barely taken him five minutes to read the whole thing! _Improved reading and comprehension skills? Talk about an understatement!_

Dumbledore's voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts. "Let's see how well you were able to read through the book. Tell me, Harry, what gifts do all Magi possess?"

"The gifts vary, depending on a Magus's potential, but all Magi are shapeshifters and bianimagus, and have healing, scanning and mindspeaking abilities. They also have a permanent shield around them, which protects them from various curses, and depending on the strength of the Magus, can include two of the Unforgivables – the Imperius Curse and the Cruciatus Curse," answered Harry.

"And who do you think should be involved in the Quadralis ritual?"

Harry closed his eyes. While Magi may not always know how to do something, they always knew what was not possible. So all he had to do was find something that 'felt right', or at least, didn't feel wrong.

"Yourself, Professor, with Professor McGonagall, Professor Lupin, and Tonks. It's a good power mix and a nice balance of two witches and two wizards."

"An excellent assessment, my boy. I absolutely agree." Dumbledore headed over to the fireplace and threw a pinch of Floo powder into it. "Minerva, my dear, I need your help. Could you prepare the seventh-year warded lab for a Quadralis ritual? I believe that is the most heavily protected room we have that is just large enough. Then I need you to ask the house-elves to prepare a meal for a group of five and set it all up in the lab as well. Just meet us there and I'll explain everything then."

He ended the call without waiting for a response and made yet another fire-call to the Order Headquarters. "Hello? Is anyone in? Ah, there you all are. Nymphadora, Remus, I need you to come to Hogwarts as soon as you can. Minerva will be waiting for you in the seventh-year lab and I will explain it all when you two get here. See you soon!"

Dumbledore then turned towards Harry. "Harry, you won't be staying in Gryffindor Tower, at least not during the summer. I have a guest room here that you'll be staying in," he said as he pointed to a doorway in the corner of his office. "Also, you have full access to the Restricted Section in the library. In fact, you now have full access to every room in the school, as well as the Forbidden Forest, with the exception of the private rooms of those who live and work here. No need to use your invisibility cloak to sneak around anymore." Dumbledore chuckled as Harry turned bright red in embarrassment.

Before he could show Harry to his new room, Fawkes and Hedwig both flew in through the office window. Hedwig, sensing a change in Harry that she didn't understand, became agitated. Harry tried to soothe her, though his smoother and deeper voice confused her even more. "Hedwig! _There's_ a girl. It's just me, Harry. We're going to stay at Hogwarts for the summer, Hedwig, and we don't have to return to the Dursleys _ever _again." He gently smoothed her feathers and recognizing the familiar touch and smell of her owner, she slowly calmed.

Tilting her head, she emitted some questioning owl sounds but Harry heard a voice say, _/ My Harry-wizard? Hedwig doesn't understand! _/

Harry looked at Dumbledore. "Did you hear that? I heard her like she was talking to me… Wait… Am I a beastspeaker? I can mindspeak to birds?"

Seeing Fawkes, he decided to experiment. _/ Hello, Fawkes_/ he thought at the phoenix. _/ Can you hear me? _/

Fawkes happily circled Harry and answered/ _Harry-wizard is a beastspeaker! Wonderful! Fawkes must tell the others. Can Harry-wizard do more than bird-speak? _/

Harry answered out loud, "I don't know Fawkes. Professor, Fawkes wants to know if it's just birds I can talk to."

Dumbledore smiled. "Knowing you, Harry, you'll probably be able to talk to any kind of animal. However, testing your beastspeaking abilities will have to wait. We have to get you settled in first and form the Mentor Bond."

Nodding and putting his curiosity aside for now, Harry entered his new room and slowly looked around. The place was amazing! A king sized bed rested against the right wall and a huge closet stood beside it with a full-length mirror resting in the corner. There was a large desk, a bookcase, and a cabinet that seemed to be designed for things like potion supplies and equipment on the wall in front of him. The cabinet also contained a generous supply of parchment, quills and ink. To his left, there was a window which took up almost the entire length of the wall and had a view towards the Quidditch pitch. There was also a nice perch beside it which Hedwig now occupied. The floor was covered with a soft beige carpet and across from his desk was a fireplace with a few comfortable looking chairs and couches opposite it. There was a special rack for his broom and a stand for Hedwig's cage along the same wall. The door on the other side of his bed led to a bathroom with a marble tub big enough for three people. The room was warm and inviting – Harry felt immediately at home.

"You may rearrange things if you like, or change colours. This room is never quite the same two occupants in a row." Dumbledore was enjoying Harry's reaction to the place he would call home, at least for the rest of the summer. "We'll decide when school starts if you should stay here or move back to Gryffindor Tower."

Once Harry had unpacked his trunk with a mere wave of his hand ("I could get used to this!"), Harry followed Dumbledore to the warded lab.

* * *

The explanations for few of the terms used in this chapter (they're from the-dreamer4's homepage): 

**Beastspeaker** - one who can communicate with animals using mindspeech. The "language" is sometimes described using the pattern "owl-speak" or "bird-speak", for example. Exercising this gift is different from parseltongue in that other humans hear human speech from a beastspeaker, but hear a hissing language from a parselmouth.

**Mentor** - a wizard or a witch chosen to assist a Magus between his awakening and his coming to full potential and control.

**Mentor Bond** - a mental bond between a Magus and his Mentor. Depending on the level of power of both and the existing level of trust and affection between them, it can simply involve long-range mindspeech to extensive full telepathic and empathic link. The bond also helps "ground" the Wild Magic of a fledgling Magus, helping the Magus to safely focus his power.

**Mindspeaker/Mindspeech** - mindspeech is not full telepathy. It is the sending and receiving of a direct thought, thinking in words at someone or something in the case of a beastspeaker. The second party may or may not be a mindspeaker themselves. Mindspeakers can establish links with others (mindspeaker to non-mindspeaker) and among a group of people (between non-mindspeakers).

**Quadralis** - a ritual that allows four spellcasters to pool their powers. The more balanced the four spellcasters are, the stronger the result.

**Scanner** - one with the ability, usually on extended physical contact, to identify magic on an inanimate object or to "scan" the powers of a spellcaster and evaluate the overall strength of that person's magic. In rare cases, scanning can be done without physical contact and can identify individual powers and abilities in the person being scanned, such as animagus ability.

**Shapeshifter** - ability to change into other human and humanoid forms (such as giants, trolls, goblins, etc.), or just changing parts of the body.


	3. The Magus Circle begins to form

Thank you all so much for your reviews! I usually only reply to reviews that have questions or specific comments, but I still cherish each and every one of them! Keep them coming please!

I apologize for having been gone for so long - unfortunately, my laptop and I have parted ways. Luckily, my housemate was kind enough to let me share hers so I could post this. I'll soon be returning home to my slower but still functional desktop so except more chapters soon!

**Lillian Marie Potter** - Whoa! LOL... If that doesn't make me want to update soon, I don't know what will! I'm adding finishing touches on the next chapter so expect it soon!

**dihall** - I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I'm not sure how the-dreamer4 intended it, but in my story, Hedwig says "Harry-wizard" not to distinguish from other Harrys, but to note that he is a wizard. For example, she would call Ron "Ron-wizard". What distinguishes Harry Potter from other Harrys would be calling him "my Harry-wizard."

**silvrfoxfire** - I'm glad you like it. What aspect of the conversations were you thinking of, or was it just in general? I'll definitely try to do a better job in the future. Thanks!

**Echelon** - You won't have to wait until school starts for reactions from everyone... ;)

**Luke** - I'm glad you're enjoying this! I'm having a blast writing it as well. And there is reason to all my madness... LOL. While Harry is strong, he's certainly not invincible nor does he have full control of his powers. And don't count Voldemort out yet - he's got something huge up his sleeve... ;)

**Earthwytch** - I made someone squeak! LOL... As for Draco and Snape...You'll find out about it all eventually!

**loralee1** - I'm glad you like it so far! Hopefully you'll continue to enjoy it despite the H/D pairing!

Huge thanks to my beta, Brittany for her incredible patience!

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Magus Circle begins to form **

When Harry and Dumbledore entered the lab, the quiet chatter between Tonks, Lupin and McGonagall stopped.

"Ah, good, you are all here. I am sure you are quite curious as to why I've asked you all to come, but the house-elves have prepared quite a delicious lunch for us. Shall we? I promise to answer everything after lunch." With a light clap of his hand, the meal appeared on the table. Since Remus and Tonks had left Grimmauld Place before they could enjoy Molly's wonderful cooking, they dug in heartily. Minerva wanted to argue, but seeing the stubborn twinkle in her old friend's eyes, she sighed and merely shook her head before reaching for a chicken sandwich. For the next half hour, the only sounds were of people enjoying a good meal.

Once everyone had eaten to their heart's content, Dumbledore clapped his hands once more, clearing the table. "Now, as for why I have asked you all here… I have discovered today that Harry is a Magus and I have agreed to be his Mentor. We would like the three of you to be a part of the Quadralis ritual so that we may form the Mentor Bond. As you are aware, the ritual requires that you willingly be a part of the Circle of Magus, an action that requires an incredible amount of trust on both sides. Take a minute to think it over – keep in mind that once you join the Magus Circle, there is no way to undo it. Be assured that neither Harry nor I will take offence if you say no."

For a minute, silence reigned. Seeing the flabbergasted expressions on their faces, Dumbledore had to fight to keep still, though he could feel his lips twitching in amusement. He summoned a book titled Advanced Rituals and Spellcasting – Not for the Nervous Novice for Harry to read while the others wrapped their heads around the information he had just given them. While the Security Spell for a Magus Circle and the details of the Quadralis ritual were provided in his book on Magi, this one held more spells and such that Harry would eventually need to know.

Not surprisingly, it was Minerva who recovered first. Years of being in Dumbledore's presence had better prepared her for digesting shocks and sudden surprises than most. "Harry? A Magus? And you're the Mentor, Albus? And Harry's already manifesting the physical changes! But… oh, he's so young…" A note of sympathy was heard as she thought of the new changes and burdens one of her favourite pupils faced. It was quickly replaced, however, by a note of sheer awe as she repeated, "But he's so _young!_" as she remembered that the most powerful Magus on record, a veritable force of nature, had awakened at twenty-five and Harry wasn't quite sixteen. _His potential must be staggering! _

When Harry looked up moments later after having finished the book, he found them all staring at him. "You… a Magus… I knew there was something remarkable about you when you learned the Patronus Charm so well, but I could never have imagined this!" Remus's eyes were shining and there was a proud smile on his face. He approached Harry and addressed him formally. "My Lord Magus?"

Harry looked at him, not just as Harry Potter, the son of two of his best friends, but also as Harry Magus, soon to be the most powerful Magus in history. "Yes, Remus?"

"If you will have me, I would be a part of your Circle and assist you in your work as far as I am able." He stretched out his hand, palm up, and Harry reached out his hand, palm down. Harry's hand began to glow with a soft white haze and as his bright green eyes met the warm brown ones of Remus's, the glow engulfed both of their hands.

"It is my honour and pleasure to welcome you to my Circle, Remus Lupin. May the rites we perform tonight bind us forever in friendship, and I pledge to give you all the protection I am able as we go about the work before us." They then clasped their glowing hands together and Remus pulled Harry into a warm hug.

Hesitantly, Harry looked at Tonks and McGonagall, afraid of their reactions. His worries were put to rest though when he noticed that Tonks now sported shockingly white hair. With smiles on their faces, they approached him and repeated the pledging ritual with Harry Magus just as Remus had done.

Harry grinned at them all in relief and seeing Dumbledore nod, he closed his eyes and concentrated on his senses, feeling everyone's magic. After a few moments, he softly said, "Albus is earth, in the north, Minerva is air, in the east, Tonks is fire, in the south, and Remus is water, in the west. The order of invocation needs to be north, south, east and west for the best balance." He opened his eyes. "That should work, right?"

Dumbledore peered at him over the half-moon spectacles perched half-way down his crooked nose. "Harry, you're a Magus. You need to trust your instincts. What do they tell you?"

Feeling bolstered by Dumbledore's confidence in his abilities, Harry replied, "That I'm right."

"Well then, shall we?"

Harry stood in the centre as they circled him and began the Quadralis ritual, showing their auras about them. Dumbledore's aura was bright red while Minerva, Remus and Tonks's were different shades of blue and green.

"I am Albus, I stand in the North. My element is earth, foundation, strength, timelessness. I stand ready. _Quadralis_."

"I am Nymphadora, I stand in the South. My element is fire, creating, consuming, transforming, purifying. I stand ready. _Quadralis._"

"I am Minerva, I stand in the East. My element is air, unseen, changing, powerful, freedom and flight. I stand ready. _Quadralis._"

"I am Remus, I stand in the West. My element is water, calming, cooling, flexible yet relentless. I stand ready. _Quadralis._"

The next part should have been Dumbledore's, but he looked at Harry, who nodded and took up the ritual. "We have within this circle a balance and a joined purpose. Let the melding begin. _Quadralis_."

The auras of the four separated into tendrils and spun about them. The red, blue and green tendrils retained their separate colours, but wove together until all five were surrounded by the red-blue-green mesh with a white glow in the centre. The _Quadralis _was formed.

Dumbledore walked towards Harry in the centre and Harry met him halfway. He smiled, ready to bond with the enormously powerful young man before him. "I am ready when you are, my dear Magus."

"Albus Dumbledore, I stand before you, a newly-awakened Magus, seeking your guidance, seeking to control what grows within me. I seek a Mentor to stand with me, and I ask you to accept this burden."

The Mentor-to-be paused for a moment before answering. "Harry Potter, Seventh Magus. Power is a wonderful and dangerous thing. Power that sets itself above and apart from others can become corrupted. Such a one lives now. I would not see anyone be drawn down that path, but you in particular? You have by far the biggest heart and so much good in you, more so than anyone I have ever seen in my life. I know I have no reason to fear. My Lord Magus, I consent to be your Mentor, with all my heart." And though quite unusual for such a ritual, instead of joining hands, Dumbledore opened his arms, and Harry stepped into them, hugging him fiercely.

Letting go, Dumbledore and Harry returned to their previous positions. Harry turned and looked at the other three. "A pledge ties us. This is your last chance to change your minds." All three smiled and shook their heads. "Then I'll make this short and sweet. _Sodalis!_" With the invocation of the Security Spell, his mind linked with theirs and a structure was placed in their minds to protect information regarding the Magus. A mindspeech channel was also set in place so that they could mindspeak to the Magus and each other. There was a sense of euphoria and closeness among the five of them that they basked in before Harry finally whispered, "_Finite Incantatem!_" and the tendrils of red, blue, green and white faded, leaving them all a bit breathless.

Since they (except for Harry and Dumbledore) were drained after having performed such a strong and taxing ritual, Dumbledore suggested a break to replenish their strengths. They all agreed and decided to discuss everything else after dinner.

* * *

Seeing that Dumbledore was occupied with the Ministry and the Order business, Harry grabbed his Firebolt and headed out towards the Quidditch pitch. Flying was something he had missed immensely while at the Dursleys, and he wanted to take full advantage of having a pitch all to himself. That and he also wanted to see if he would be able to stay on the Quidditch team this year (Dumbledore had lifted his lifelong ban, thankfully). A Magus, after all, could sense magic and thus the Snitch; plus, he had to make sure he couldn't accidentally use Wild Magic to make his broom go faster – he didn't want any unfair advantages.

Thankfully, his broom couldn't go faster than its maximum speed (he almost destroyed his beloved Firebolt with that stunt) and he found that his new build did not hinder his abilities as a Seeker. He was just as agile as before, if not more so – he just had to be careful to not exert too much force while holding onto his broom, lest he break it. And the shields a Magus naturally had stopped him from constantly sensing the location of the Snitch. He had to either lower the shields or purposely try to sense the magic surrounding the Snitch – something he could easily avoid.

Harry's smile faded though when he realized that the other teams – Slytherin, in particular – would object to having him remain on as the Gryffindor Seeker if they knew the truth. Harry debated on what to do. On the one hand, his identity as a Magus was likely to still be a secret come September. And he knew he'd never cheat, so he wouldn't be breaking any rules. But on the other hand, was it fair for him to stay on the team, knowing he would likely be forced to resign if they knew the truth? And then of course, if he did stay on the team and it was discovered that he was a Magus… Harry shuddered, imagining the reactions of not only the other teams but his team-mates as well.

Harry sighed as he realized he would have to resign from the Quidditch team, something he knew his Head of House as well as the rest of the Gryffindors would not take well, especially since he knew that Ginny intended to try out as a Chaser instead. He didn't even know what excuse he could use – everyone knew he loved Quidditch and would not voluntarily give it up. He also had a feeling that his Magus training would be extensive and had hoped being on the Quidditch team would help him from becoming overwhelmed by it all. _Well, I'll just have to rely on my friends even more…_ That thought came to an abrupt halt as he wondered what his friends would say when he told them about his newly discovered identity as a Magus. For that matter, he wondered if he was even allowed to tell them. Shaking his head, determined to not worry about this now, he continued to fly leisurely around the pitch.

Dinnertime came all too soon and Harry decided to fly into his room instead of walking there. Grinning, he flew towards his window and with a push of magic, opened it and flew in, startling a napping Hedwig who nipped his ear in retribution as soon as he landed. Harry apologized to her for disturbing her nap, and smiling sheepishly at Dumbledore who had been watching his antics from the door, he headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.

Because the Magus Circle and Snape were the only ones present at Hogwarts, the Great Hall appeared to be so much bigger than normal. Harry found himself missing Hagrid – the half-giant's boisterous presence would have made the huge Hall seem less empty. Unfortunately, Hagrid was still away taking Grawp back to the giants. Umbridge, while trying to exact revenge on the centaurs for what had happened to her, had accidentally discovered Grawp's presence in the Forbidden Forest. If Dumbledore hadn't intervened on Hagrid's behalf, Hagrid would have been sent to Azkaban. As it was, he had been given an enormous fine he could not afford to pay. Harry, of course, had been more than happy to pay in Hagrid's stead, using the money he received from the Ministry for his part in 'capturing' the Death Eaters. He hadn't wanted his share – it didn't feel right, accepting the money when his stupidity had gotten his godfather killed. Besides, he had more than enough money, what with the extensive inheritance his parents had left him as well as most of the Black fortune Sirius had left him in his will.

Thoughts of Umbridge made Harry glance down at the back of his right hand. It was thankfully no longer scarred, Dumbledore having removed it using Fawkes's tears. He had been furious when he saw the words "I must not tell lies" carved into the back of Harry's hand. Unfortunately, they had bigger things to worry about than seeing to Umbridge's punishment. Still, Harry was sure it had been Dumbledore who had 'accidentally' let Umbridge's address slip, allowing the Weasley twins to extract further revenge on Umbridge by testing their various inventions on her, and then helped them cover up their tracks.

As Harry sat down at the table, he wondered why Snape was at Hogwarts. As the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress, Dumbledore and McGonagall had to be to at Hogwarts for the first week or two of summer to oversee things for the following year. However, thanks to the havoc Umbridge had wreaked, they were forced to stay much longer to undo all of the toad's acts as the High Inquisitor and the Headmistress. Snape was just a professor though and didn't have to be at the school until nearly the end of the summer.

Conversations flew easily between the Circle members, although Harry deliberately pulled back from the familiarity that a Magus shared with his Circle so Snape wouldn't get suspicious. The last thing he needed was Snape on his case for acting disrespectfully to his professors by referring to them by their first names. He went back to acting like Harry Potter, the student – at least partly. He had seen and experienced too much to ever be _that_ Harry Potter again.

Though they all tried to enjoy the meal, Snape's foul disposition dampened the mood. At first, Harry bit his tongue and forcibly restrained himself so that he wouldn't retaliate against Snape's bitter and snide remarks, even though he wanted nothing more than to tell the greasy git off. However, when Snape began to insult Sirius, even with Dumbledore's calming influence over their link, Harry lost control. With barely a thought, Harry had Snape pinned against the wall, completely frozen and at his mercy.

Harry's voice was quiet and seemed colder than ice, its effects enhanced by the slight echo around the large Hall.

"How dare you! You want to talk about maturity and responsibility? You are a _professor_ and you've done nothing but belittle those half your age. Your lack of fairness and favouritism for the Slytherins has probably made you into a most hated professor Hogwarts has seen in centuries! You've petrified Neville, a first-rate Herbology student, into failing Potions. You've held a grudge against a dead man who grew out of the childish pranks even before you graduated Hogwarts and decided to pin it all on a helpless _child_ who wasn't even aware of the existence of magic until he received his Hogwarts letter! It was your lack of teaching skills and your utter disdain for me that got Sirius killed! You are ineffective as a teacher and an even worse human being!"

Dumbledore, seeing that sending his calming influence over their Bond wasn't working, firmly grasped Harry's shoulder and pulled him away from Severus. / _Harry, you have to calm down or your magic is going to get out of control!_ /

Harry took a deep breath and steadily exhaled as he let Snape fall to the ground. Before Harry could continue to yell out everything he'd been dying to say since the first time he had met Snape, Snape suddenly hissed, his right hand tightly clutching his left forearm where the Dark Mark was located. Harry didn't think much of it – it did happen when Death Eaters were being summoned, after all. Well, that was until Remus ran out of the Great Hall in search for a few potions, Tonks headed for a fireplace hooked to the Floo Network to call the Order, Minerva transfigured a chair into a comfortable bed and Albus floated Snape onto it before he conjured an ice pack and held it against the Dark Mark.

_/ You've all clearly done this before… Albus, what's going on?_ /

Harry heard Dumbledore sigh. _/ It's one of the ways Voldemort is torturing him, I'm afraid. He has recently discovered Professor Snape's role as a spy and as punishment, he makes the Mark burn for hours at a time and we can't do much except give him a Pain-Reliving Potion and a Sleeping Draught. Should this continue on for much longer, he will likely lose all feeling in his arm. / _

Remus ran back in just then, holding the vials of potions in his hands. Snape was grimacing in pain but refused to take them. "Not yet."

As the adults began to discuss anything that could help Snape, Harry approached the man and knelt beside him. _Wild Magic is merely the will of the Magus…_ Harry wasn't sure how, but he knew for certain that he could will the Dark Mark to vanish, that he could sever the link between Snape and Voldemort.

Snape sneered, noticing Potter beside him. He was about to deliver a scathing retort when he realized that Potter reeked of power greater than any he had ever felt before. Snape's eyes, though glazed with pain, watched him guardedly. Harry, noticing the gaze, spoke. "I'm not apologizing for what I've said. It's the truth and I don't regret saying them nor am I going to take anything back. I know you despise me for whatever reason you believe to justify your actions to yourself, but I also have every reason to wish you ill for the way you have treated me in the past five years I've known you. Understandably, there's a lot of bad blood between us, to say the least, but right now, I know I can help and no matter how I feel about you personally, I'm not going to stand by and do nothing while you're suffering at a madman's hands."

Harry breathed in deeply and placed both of his hands on the Dark Mark. As he exhaled, he sent a burst of magic towards it, willing it to completely vanish. His hands and the Dark Mark were enveloped in a white glow, and as he severed the link between Snape and Voldemort, a wave of pain blazed through Snape from the Mark, although it was cut off almost before he acknowledged it. As the white glow encompassed Snape whole, the pain completely disappeared, leaving him feeling refreshed and energized. A few moments later, the glow faded and Harry withdrew his hands, leaving behind an unblemished skin.

Snape realized, as he looked down at his bare arm, that he was free for the first time since he had met the Dark Lord. He smiled genuinely, his expression completely unguarded for a second. Though Snape masked it quickly, Harry had briefly seen an expression of true happiness on the bitter Potions master. Seeing that Snape didn't quite know what to say to him, Harry faux-whispered, "Don't feel you owe me anything. I'd have done this for anyone, even Umbridge!"

Snape chocked back his laughter and tried to sneer, but his eyes gave him away. _Blast the boy!_ Snape thought with rare amusement. Feeling uncomfortable with such a tender moment with Snape of all people, Harry stood up. His body, however, wavered and he would have fallen had Dumbledore not been standing behind him to lend a steady hand.

"Harry, you've just used an incredible amount of magic. Although the Bond allows you to safely channel more magic by helping to ground it, your body is not used to using so much magic at once. I want you to go to your room and sleep."

While Harry would normally have balked at being treated like such a child, he was too tired at the moment to argue. "Okay, Albus," Harry muttered, feeling the exhaustion creeping over him. He Apparated directly onto his new bed and fell asleep on top of the covers as soon as his head hit the pillow, leaving behind bewildered adults to stare at the spot he had been standing in just a second ago.

"He Apparated within Hogwarts," Minerva observed weakly. She looked at Dumbledore, who seemed to be looking at something the others couldn't see. Then he commented, "And without disturbing the wards in the least. Amazing! Well, shall we continue with dinner?"


	4. Revelations

Hi everyone!

I am so sorry for the delay! My home computer had a virus and ended up infecting my disk. By the time that got solved, my beta took about a week to get back to me, only to say that she no longer had the time to be my beta. I've been looking for another beta but haven't had any luck finding one so far... Anyways, I apologize for the delay and any mistakes that appear in this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Four: Revelations **

For the first time in weeks, Harry had slept the whole night through. He woke up feeling refreshed and completely energized, like there was nothing in the world he couldn't do at that moment. It was definitely an incredible high. Grinning happily, Harry quickly got ready and was about to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast when a knock came from his door and Dumbledore entered.

"Morning, Albus!"

Harry's good mood was infectious and Dumbledore couldn't help but smile back. "Good morning, Harry. I'm glad you are feeling well. I see that getting a full night's sleep was just what you needed."

Seeing Harry's questioning look, Dumbledore explained. "You were having a nightmare. Our Bond allowed me to divert those dreams so you could sleep peacefully. I wasn't aware that you weren't sleeping well."

When Harry avoided Dumbledore's knowing gaze and remained silent, Dumbledore sent feelings of comfort and reassurance through their link. "Harry, you need to tell me when things like this occur so that I can help you. _Nothing_ is more important to me than your well-being. Promise me that you'll come to me with anything that troubles you, no matter how little and unimportant it seems."

Harry nodded and quickly changed the topic. "So I assume Sn-- Professor Snape knows about me being a Magus?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm afraid the white aura was a dead giveaway."

"Just as well, I suppose. It would have been hard to keep it from him while training here, I'm sure."

Hearing the mental sigh, Dumbledore sat down beside Harry on the bed before speaking. "Harry, we need to talk about you and Professor Snape."

Harry groaned. "I meant everything I said last night. I know he works for the Order, but he's done nothing but antagonize me for five years. He didn't even know me – I was the "Boy Who Lived" and I was James Potter's son, and that was enough for him to treat me as if I was worse than a Blast-Ended Skrewt. I know you want to include him in my training and was thinking of eventually including him in the Magus Circle, but… Albus, at this point, I barely trust him, let alone willing to take private lessons from him again. Besides, has he even agreed? I doubt that after the disaster that was my Occlumency lessons that he would willingly teach me again. And I don't want him to make any commitments because of some sense of obligation he feels due to last night."

"I have not had a chance to speak with Professor Snape. After you left, he excused himself and retired to his chambers for the night. I'd imagine it was quite a bit of a shock for him to be free from Voldemort so suddenly." Dumbledore paused, trying to find the right words. "Harry, Professor Snape is a very stubborn man, and like many of us, dislikes admitting to his faults. While he will eventually admit his wrongdoings and apologize, it will take time, and time is something we can ill afford. Your training is imperative, and his skills in that regard will be extremely useful. I know asking this of you isn't fair, but I am going to anyway. I am not expecting the two of you to be friends; what I will ask is that you put your animosity aside for now so that you can work together. Freeing him of the Mark has given him a new start. Perhaps there can be a new start between you both."

Harry saw the plea in Dumbledore's eyes and reluctantly nodded in agreement. "Albus, since he's free of the Mark, you could grant him his wish of being the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Perhaps that'll make him less bitter and spiteful." Everyone at the school knew that Snape desperately wanted the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. While Harry did not want Snape to teach his favourite subject and ruin the experience for him, Snape, at least, knew the subject well. Harry wasn't sure he could handle yet another incompetent professor or worse, a murderous one. _Better Snape than Umbridge_.

Dumbledore laughed, relieved Harry had agreed despite his obvious reluctance. "That is an excellent idea! With the Dark Mark gone, Professor Snape would be the ideal Defence teacher. With the rumour that the position is cursed, I've been having the hardest time finding an acceptable professor. Perhaps it would be much easier to find a Potions Professor than a Defence one."

* * *

When Harry walked into the Great Hall later that morning for breakfast, the sight almost brought Harry to his knees because he was laughing so hard. Snape must have said something to Tonks that had ticked her off because she was chasing him around with both of their wands in her hand, her hair flashing green and silver, saying, "I love you Sevvie! You are the sexiest Potions master and ex-Death Eater I have ever seen! Say you'll marry me! We can make the most beautiful music together!" The look of utter disgust on his face was priceless and was in complete contrast to the loving gaze she was sporting – except, of course, her eyes, which told of unimaginable torture and revenge planned as soon as she got her hands on him. The normally stoic Potions Professor was actually running away from Tonks – not that Harry could blame him. Harry had learned the hard way that those who underestimated Tonks paid for it dearly. Still, the sight was something Harry never would have believed had he not seen it with his own eyes.

Unfortunately (or fortunately for Snape), Tonks's klutz attack hit and she tripped over her own two feet and fell. Snape immediately recovered his wand and quickly sat down beside Remus and began to calmly eat the remainder of his breakfast as if nothing had happened. McGonagall, who had thus far managed to not laugh, couldn't help it and ended up spurting juice through her nose. That set Harry off once again and this time, Remus and Dumbledore joined him.

Finally, Harry calmed, Tonks returned to the table and Minerva stopped flushing in embarrassment. Noticing the seating arrangement – the only available seat was beside Snape – Harry mentally scowled at Dumbledore before sitting down.

Glancing at Snape, Harry quietly asked, "Back to normal, Professor?" While Harry did not want to be the one who made any overtures, he did agree to try and he refused to go back on his word. Besides, Harry really did want to know how Snape was doing.

Snape glared at Potter at first, then realizing it actually mattered to him how he was recovering, Snape quietly answered, "Approximately, though what is normal now is anyone's guess, Potter."

After a few bites to fill the strained silence and seeing that Snape was done with his breakfast, with Dumbledore's encouragement, Harry tried again. "Professor Snape, may I speak with you in private?"

Surprisingly, Snape had no caustic remarks – instead, he merely nodded and left the Great Hall, and Harry warily followed.

Stopping near the front doors, Snape waited silently while Harry tried to figure out what to say. "Professor Snape… We don't like each other. In fact, we just barely tolerate each other's presence. But as I'm sure you've figured out, Albus needs your help with my training and you are an important member of the Order. We need to be able to work together. So could we call a truce? We're both having new beginnings. Perhaps we could start over." Harry held out his hand for Snape to shake.

Snape stared down at the proffered hand, confused. He had trouble understanding Potter – he wasn't acting at all like how Snape thought he would. After the 'rescue', he would have thought Potter would gloat, or at the very least, rub his nose in on the fact that Snape now owed him. Instead, Potter seemed to genuinely care about his well-being. After everything he had done to Potter in the past, Potter had still helped him and now wanted a fresh start.

Snape's thoughts flashed back to last night. He had excused himself from dinner as soon as he could, citing exhaustion. The truth was, he had felt unnerved. For so long, his role had been defined by the Dark Mark that he wasn't sure what to do now that he was free. He then spent the entire night pondering his new existence and Potter – particularly, what Potter had said, and whether or not any of it held a grain of truth. He refused to be blamed for Black's death – he wasn't responsible for the actions of a foolish Gryffindor, and it certainly wasn't his fault that Potter didn't bother to learn Occlumency. And he did try to teach him, no matter what the brat thought. And he favoured the Slytherins because no one really gave them a chance. That and Dumbledore needed him to curry the favour of various Death Eaters and their families. By praising his House and putting down the rest, no one really questioned his betrayal of the Dark Lord, especially since he wasn't the only one of the Death Eaters who had done so. They all assumed he had manipulated Dumbledore to save his own skin. None of them had any idea how cunning the Headmaster truly was – Snape wouldn't be surprised if the old wizard had actually been in Slytherin.

Snape could admit that the main reason he disliked the Gryffindors so much was because of how he had been treated while attending Hogwarts, especially by the Marauders. They had made his life miserable. The wizarding world thought Gryffindors were brave when they really were nothing but a bunch of idiots who merely acted without thinking anything through. His hatred of Potter stemmed from not only his relation to the Marauders themselves, but by how much he got away with when, had he been anyone else, he would have surely been expelled by now. If it weren't for Dumbledore insisting on giving the boy so much freedom, he was sure Potter would be nothing special. Of course, now that he was a Magus, he couldn't help but be… extraordinary.

He wasn't jealous of Potter's fame, nor was he angry that he had to continue to keep an eye out for Potter thanks to the life debt he owed the brat's father. He would do that for any Hogwarts student. It was just the special treatment Potter received that angered Snape. The boy thought himself above the rules because of it. Or at least, that is what he had believed. Snape's preconceptions did not fit the Potter who had helped him last night and who was now standing in front of him asking for a truce.

Snape finally saw what he had always refused to see – that Potter wasn't a spoiled brat who sought fame and disrespected authority when it suited his purposes. The boy didn't mean to be a rule-breaker – he just did what was necessary and met the cost later, which is very Gryffindor of him, really. Snape admitted to himself (though he would forever deny it) that Potter really was a true hero. He owed the boy in front of him a great deal, although he knew that Potter would never hold that over him. The young man really could be trusted with the power of the Magi.

Seeing Potter's uncertain expression, Snape firmly grasped his hand. "A truce it is then, Harry." Snape then headed towards the dungeons, his robes billowing out behind him, smirking all the while at the stunned expression on the boy's face from being called by his first name.

* * *

The rest of the morning passed by uneventfully, to Harry's immense relief. The Circle discussed the training he would have to undergo and when the topic changed to Order business, Harry left them to it, choosing to read the books he found in the Headmaster's office instead. Harry marvelled at such a change of heart – a few months ago, he would have loved to have been among the Order members, finding out new information and trying to help in any way he could. He knew better now – he no longer had the need to be included in everything. He had enough on his plate without having to worry about everything else. And he trusted Dumbledore to tell him what he would need to know – it really was better that way. After all, if he didn't know, then he couldn't get in the way and get someone else killed.

Harry had just finished reading an interesting tome on duelling techniques when Remus called him over, unable to rein in his curiosity any longer. "I have to ask, Harry… How did you deal with the Dark Mark? And how did you Apparate in Hogwarts?"

Harry visibly started at that. With everything that had happened, he hadn't even realized he had Apparated where there were heavy Anti-Apparition wards. "Well, I'm not sure how I Apparated on Hogwarts grounds. I was so tired that I forgot it wasn't supposed to be possible. I sort of felt the defensive spells _slide_ around me on the way, but I don't think I broke anything. Did I?" Seeing Dumbledore shake his head, Harry relaxed. "As for the Dark Mark... Well, Wild Magic is basically just the will of a Magus being executed. So I knew that if I willed the Dark Mark to disappear, if I willed the link between Professor Snape and Voldemort to be cut, it would work."

As everyone stared at Harry in amazement once again, Dumbledore spoke, breaking them all out of their thoughts. "Harry, have you given any thought to who else you would like to induct into the Magus Circle?"

"Well," he replied, "Moody, since his eye will probably pick up something about me – like my aura or something. Considering how paranoid he is, he'll think I'm possessed before thinking me a Magus and I am not sure I want to deal with his interrogations." They all laughed at that, knowing how true it was. Mad-Eye's paranoia was legendary, after all. "I also think Mr Weasley should be included, since I will have to eventually deal with the Ministry and he's ideal as he is the head of the department dealing with Voldemort. I'm not sure who else I would want to induct from the Order… Although I suppose we will have to eventually inform all the members about me being a Magus. But for now, I'd like to stick to the story about me having had a magical growth spurt. And while they're here, I want to use the Security Spell on Professor Snape. I know he's not a part of the Magus Circle, but he does know who I am, and as much as you all trust him, I don't. Plus, if he's helping me train, being mindlinked would make things much easier."

"Alright then. We'll ask Alastor and Arthur to come by for an Order business. Minerva, please go ask Severus to join us."

* * *

The requested parties all arrived and once the greetings were exchanged and the tea served, explanations were given. Arthur Weasley had been taken aback, but once he got over the shock, he became overjoyed for Harry. Moody took the explanation very well – he all but volunteered to test Harry's limits. However, after an explanation about fledgling Magus needing time to adjust or risk burning out and dying, Mad-Eye reluctantly backed off.

The pledges were made and spells were completed and everyone was mindlinked once again. Snape stood, watching the proceedings from a corner in the Headmaster's office with sadness and envy. There was a sense of familiarity and belonging among them that he longed to be a part of. He joined the Death Eaters for that very reason, though what he had felt for a very short period of time was a poor mimicry for what he saw in front of him. Squaring his shoulders, he approached the group and stood in front of Potter as the latter performed the Security Spell on him. Fortunately, he found himself only mindlinked to Potter and Dumbledore. Snape was glad for the boy's prudence – he knew without a doubt that had he been linked to Mad-Eye, they would have both killed each other within minutes.

"Now that the Security Spell is in place, Harry and I need to tell you what the prophecy said."

"But it got broken, didn't it? At the Department of Mysteries…" Minerva trailed off, seeing the absence of the ever present twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Albus was present when Professor Trelawney first made the prophecy; Voldemort only heard the beginning from a servant of his who had overheard it before he was removed from the building. The prophecy says: _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._ Voldemort had only heard the part foretelling the birth of a boy in July to parents who had thrice defied him. The prophecy could have meant Neville instead of me – the Longbottoms had also defied Voldemort three times and Neville was born on July 30th. But because Voldemort marked me and gave me some of his power, I'm the only one who can defeat him now. Either I kill him or he kills me."

Harry could feel their anger and sadness for him. Silence reigned until Snape wryly commented, "Thank goodness it was Potter here and not Longbottom. I shudder to think what would have happened had the Dark Lord gone after him instead."

"Don't insult Neville like that! He's just been having a tough time, what with having to use his father's wand and what with you always barking at him in class. He's excellent in Herbology and was able to master many charms and jinxes faster than most during our DA meetings. Now that his father's wand is broken and he'll have to get a new one, things will probably go a lot easier for him. I'm sure he would have done much better in my position if he had been the one Voldemort marked." Harry didn't need to mention Sirius – they all knew he was thinking it.

Dumbledore peered at Harry over his half-moon glasses, searching for the right words to express what he wanted to say. "Harry, while I have no doubts that Mr Longbottom is a very capable young man and I am proud that you are standing up for a fellow student, I must tell you that had he been in your position, Voldemort would likely have returned that first year, and the world would have fallen under dark times. Have you never wondered why Neville and his parents didn't hide under a Fidelius Charm like you did with your parents? It was because I knew that Voldemort wouldn't go after them. I knew they weren't in as much danger as you and your parents were.

"When I first told you what the prophecy said, I told you that Voldemort chose you rather than Neville because he saw himself in you even before he met you. Besides being a half-blood like he is, you also showed immense magical strength even before you were barely a year old. Most children only show slight magical strength after they turn two unless they're scared or in danger. Many attributed it to your parents, who had considerable magical strength and the fact that the Potter family had been 'pure' until James married Lily. But the most important reason Voldemort targeted you and your family was that the Potters were believed to be descendants of Godric Gryffindor. It had only been a rumour, of course, since there had never been any proof, but he didn't want to take that chance. That's why your family went into hiding and why the Longbottoms didn't. The truth was revealed to me in your second year. You used the sword of Gryffindor in the Chamber of Secrets to defeat the basilisk – the sword can only be used by those of Gryffindor blood. Anyone else who touches the sword will experience excruciating pain much like that of a Cruciatus Curse, I'd imagine. But whether or not you are the Heir of Gryffindor, I do not know. Although it would be quite fitting for the two Heirs to finish what was started almost a thousand years ago."

Harry's mind was reeling over yet another revelation about himself. He remembered Dumbledore's comment back in his second year about how "only a true Gryffindor could have pulled the sword out of the Hat..."

_/ Albus, you Slytherin! _/ Sighing with a smile lingering on his lips, Harry shook his head at the Headmaster's antics. Dumbledore tried to look slightly repentant, although it didn't exactly work due to his maddeningly twinkling eyes. After a few moments though, Dumbledore turned serious again and he mentally gave Harry a gentle hug as he spoke next.

"Harry, you have been through more in your short life than most people do in their entire lifetimes. The fact that you are standing and still willing to fight for what is right is a testament to your strength and character. Don't ever doubt yourself or your abilities, Harry."

"Yes Potter, that's my job. I take you down a few notches when your head gets too big."

Snape effectively dissolved the heavy mood and Moody changed the topic to Harry's new appearance. "How do you plan to explain the changes you went through to the public?"

"I was actually thinking about that. No one changes like I've done in such a short time and since the only other explanation besides the truth that explains it all is the magical growth spurt, I thought we could use that for the public as well. The only thing we'll have to do is find a spell so that my aura doesn't show when I use my magic."

Snape answered that question with a snort. "It seems like poetic justice. There is a disguising spell that Voldemort taught the Death Eaters to help them hide their auras. It is a difficult spell that most of the Death Eaters can't maintain for long, but you should have no problems with it." He then sent through the link the details of the spell, which Harry had no problems performing and maintaining.

"How long do you think you'll need for your training, Potter?" asked Moody, quite impressed at Harry's ability to master such a difficult spell on his first try.

"I'm not sure," Harry answered, knowing why Moody was asking. Voldemort's defeat lay with him and depending on how well his training progressed, the war could be over soon. He knew the Order, as well as the rest of the wizarding world, couldn't wait to live their lives in peace.

After a few more discussions involving the latest Order missions, Arthur and Moody left and the rest adjourned for lunch.

* * *

"Now, I want to try being an animagus but it wasn't in any of the books you gave me, Albus. How am I supposed to do it?" He was excited and his enthusiasm was obvious to everyone around him.

Dumbledore looked perfectly innocent to the others, but Harry realized he had a secret. Albus Dumbledore was an unregistered animagus! Dumbledore laughingly tried to hide it, but Harry could see that Dumbledore's form was a phoenix, almost a twin for Fawkes! As he scanned the room, Harry was shocked to realize that, though he didn't know it himself, Snape had the potential to be an animagus. He decided to save _that_ information for later, and tried to pick the forms that he wanted to take.

As he began to browse through the book on various creatures, Remus suggested, "How about a griffin? You love to fly and you are a Gryffindor."

Harry grinned at that, and without asking, Apparated the entire group outside near Hagrid's hut.

"Harry, I _wish_ you would tell us before you do something like that!" Dumbledore said sternly, rattled from the odd sensation of sliding around the Anti-Apparition wards.

"Sorry," Harry said, though he wasn't at all, and if the looks he was getting were any indication, they knew it as well.

Harry closed his eyes, focused on the Animagus Spell sent from Albus, and began to blur and get larger, and _larger_. He approached the giant mirror Dumbledore conjured and sat in front of it, examining his new body. He was pure white, though his feathers had greenish tint to them. His claws were green like his eyes and the scar remained on his forehead, the green lightning bolt standing out vividly among the white feathers.

/ _Whoa! This is incredible! _/ Harry sent to the stunned group. While they had known intellectually that most things would be easier to Harry now that he was a Magus, seeing such a complex bit of Transfiguration performed as if it was a simple charm was a completely different story. Harry took off for a short flight around the field and landing near his Circle, he shifted back.

"I wonder what other form I should take… Oh, this one will be neat!" And he promptly changed into an Emperor Horntail Dragon. An Emperor Horntail was normally hatched only once or twice in a millennium and was one and a half times bigger than the Horntail female Harry had encountered in the Triwizard Tournament. His form was black this time, though his claws and the spikes along his spine were green like his eyes.

_I wonder if I can use shapeshifting to get smaller_… Harry, in his excitement, didn't sense the chaos in their minds and just continued on. After a few moments, his dragon form shimmered, and he began to shrink. He managed to get down to about fifteen feet in length, eight feet in height but couldn't shrink any further. He then shifted directly into a third shape without changing back… a sleek white panther, a wolf, a phoenix, then an eagle, then... He finally realized they were all in profound shock and he changed back. "What's wrong with everyone?"

Somehow, it was Snape, the only one of the three professors present without animagus experience that answered. "Potter," he said with exaggerated patience, "_no one_ has ever had more than two shapes. No wizard, witch, Magus, sorcerer, druid or whatever. None. _Never!_" With that, Harry Apparated them back to the couches in the dining room, slumped in his seat, and muttered, "Bloody hell!"

* * *

After Harry was scolded, again, about Apparating on school grounds without warning his passengers and everyone began to pull themselves together at this new evidence of Harry's uniqueness, they had Harry try various other forms. After about twenty different animals and insects, from bear to butterfly, they decided to just assume he could take any shape.

Harry thought to Dumbledore, _/ Can I tell them about your form?_ / Dumbledore paused for a moment, then realizing why Harry wanted to tell everyone, nodded his acquiescence.

"When I was preparing to use the Animagus Spell the first time, I realized I could sense animagus potential. We already know about Minerva's cat form. But I also found that Albus can become a phoenix." He paused, seeing that Minerva knew, but no one else did. "And Professor Snape, you have the potential to be an animagus as well."

Snape was stunned. He had always wanted to be an animagus, but when he had tried during his years as a Hogwarts student, it had proved to be a complete failure, and he never had the courage to face the disappointment again. "Are you sure, Harry? I tried, many years ago, but there was nothing," he spoke softly.

"It's there. Whenever you're ready to try, I can help you break through."

* * *

"Bella!"

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Have you found the location of the Fortress?"

"The raids on the Muggle homes so far have not yielded anything useful, my Lord. None of the texts we've recovered contain any useful information. However, we have not yet searched through the Muggle libraries, my Lord, or the museums. The captives are certain that what you're looking for will be found there."

Voldemort smiled, sending a chill down Bellatrix's back. The last time her master had smiled like that had been after they had lost the prophecy. She had then been tortured for hours, for not only losing the prophecy but also for the loss of his followers. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for what she knew was coming. "_Crucio!_"

* * *

Thank you so much for all your reviews! I cherish each and every one of them! Please keep them coming! Here are the answers to the questions...

**asvaldson**: Chapter 4 is here and Draco will appear next chapter! Harry won't be meeting Draco until the chapter after though...

**Lanch**: Glad you like it! And Draco's first meeting with Harry isn't really funny, I'm afraid... But it'll be interesting!

**Earthwytch**: I'm really flattered! Thank you! Ron and Hermione aren't in this chapter as you probably read, but they will be in the next one and Harry will tell them... It won't exactly go over well...And Draco will be there next chapter, though he won't meet Harry until the one after that.

**betsannetwo**: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! And yes, Snape is going to be a good guy, though not necessarily "nice".

**hpficfiend**: Thank you so much! And while there won't be any "new" characters (I'll be using the ones JKR already thought of), we don't really have any information about them and so they'll be "new". Hope you'll still continue to read the story though!

**DARK WRYDER**: Thank you! The-dreamer4's story is better than mine though, in my opinion. You should definitely check it out!

**Ishtar1958**: I'm glad you like it! There will be differences as well as similarities to the-dreamer4's story. It'll get more evident in the following chapters. And yes, Harry and Hedwig will have a few conversations - she's quite an extraordinary owl. Harry won't exactly explain to Hedwig what's going on simply because she won't exactly understand - even a smart owl like her still has limitations. Still, she has an important role and she'll remain Harry's faithful companion (there won't be any pets or other animals that Harry adopts).


	5. Bend in the road

Hi everybody! I finally found myself betas! Huge thanks to Earthwytch and Abbey! You two rock!

Enjoy the new chapter and don't forget to review!

* * *

**Chapter Five: Bend in the Road **

After another excellent night of sleep with no nightmares whatsoever – thanks once again to Dumbledore's assistance – Harry spent the next few hours getting used to his new physical and magical strength while Dumbledore observed, with more than a little distress.

"Albus, stop worrying so much!" Harry said as he added a little more force to his next volley. The burst of magic he sent out bounced off the heavy shielding he had set up against the far wall and sped back towards him. Bracing himself, Harry added more power to the shield projected in front of him. The force resulting from the collision almost made him to lose his balance, but the shield, while bruised, stayed in place. As Harry added yet another burst of magic on top of it all and nearly collapsed from the onslaught, having had enough, Dumbledore insisted he stop.

"Harry, you're pushing yourself too hard. Take a break… now!" Taking a deep breath, Harry slowly released the gathered magic to Hogwarts itself, being careful to not overwhelm the wards. As Harry reached for his water bottle, Dumbledore took the opportunity to remind Harry that part of the Mentor's job was to protect the Magus from burnout.

"Harry, you are pushing yourself far too quickly. Yes, you've already had a significant transformation to accommodate your powers, but since your powers appear to be so much greater than past Magi, you will need to be especially cautious. Two days ago, you almost passed out after you destroyed that tree. After removing the Dark Mark from Severus, you were asleep for most of the next fourteen hours. Harry, I understand that you want your training to progress quickly so that you can end this war, but we can't afford to lose you, and personally, I don't know if I could bear it. So for now, unless there are lives at stake, check with me before you do anything that requires more power than what you are used to handling. Will you do that for me, for an old man's peace of mind?" Dumbledore tilted his head and smiled.

"I'll be good," Harry promised. "I think I'll head to the kitchens for lunch, then ask Ron and Hermione to come by. Albus, I want to tell them. I'll add them in a separate mindspeech link so that it won't interfere with Magus and Order business. I just want to continue having them in my life and with everything that's going on right now, I need a place where I can be me, just Harry, not the "Boy Who Lived" or the Magus. I promise to keep them out of anything that you think they shouldn't know about – I might have been forced to grow up too fast due to certain circumstances but that doesn't mean I want to drag my closest friends into all the politics and the strategies. I just… We've been through a lot, the three of us, and I… I don't want to lose them."

Dumbledore patted Harry's hand in comfort. "My dear boy, it's alright to feel overwhelmed at times. Dealing with an awakening while growing up is bound to be beyond difficult, especially with everything else that you have to deal with. Just give yourself time to adjust to this new situation and take it one step at a time – I promise it won't be as difficult as you think it will be. And of course, you may tell your friends. Like you've said, you and Mr Weasley and Ms Granger have been through quite a lot. Just make sure you give them time to absorb it all – it will be quite a shock to them, I'd imagine. But I'm certain they will accept this new aspect of you just like they have of your other talents before."

"Thanks, Albus."

* * *

Harry spent much longer than he had intended to in the kitchens. Dobby had been so happy to see him that it took a bit of time to pry the house-elf off of his legs. When he had requested some lunch, Dobby had prepared a huge feast and had waited until he finished it all before showing him his newest collection of socks. Harry also spoke with Winky, who was finally beginning to adjust to not having a master. Dobby delighted in telling him that they were taking care of the Order Headquarters as well. Harry quickly left after that – he wasn't ready yet to talk about Sirius's home. 

Harry sat in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room and with a pinch of Floo powder, fire-called the Order Headquarters. "Hello?"

Harry heard the thundering footsteps and grinned at seeing his best friends.

"Harry! Look at you! Ginny is going to be so upset that she missed seeing your first appearance!" Hermione's squeal made him back away a little. He massaged his ears, hoping to get rid of the ringing noise. Still, the expression of shock on Ron's face more than made up for Hermione's screeching.

"Can you come to Hogwarts? I have some things to tell you."

"Of course, mate!" Ron answered back with enthusiasm; he was glad to see Harry looking much happier than he had in a while. "We have to run an errand for mum, but we'll be over right after. Do you want me to try to get a hold of Ginny too? She's with Fred and George at their shop."

"Er… No. Just the two of you. I'll wait for you in the Great Hall."

* * *

Harry sat in his usual seat at the Gryffindor table, looking at the empty Hall and remembering the past five years and how much his life had changed. He shuddered, thinking about what his life would have been like had he never received the letter from Hogwarts, or if he hadn't been allowed to go. Though the wizarding world wasn't exactly a bed of roses, he wouldn't trade his life here, his friends, and the amazing memories he had for all the money in Gringotts.

Hearing his friends, Harry stood up from his seat, wanting to get it all over with. As predicted, they both stared at him, their mouths slightly parted as though having difficulty breathing. Several long moments passed as his friends just stood there, speechless.

Harry, now worried, carefully asked, "Ron? Hermione?"

Ron gulped, fighting the jealousy and awe he was feeling. After what happened during their fourth year, he had resolved to not be such a git, but it was hard to overcome, especially when one was friends with the "Boy Who Lived" who constantly occupied the spotlight.

"Blimey, Harry! The girls in the school are going to be completely in love with you! And some of the blokes too, I'd bet!"

Hermione added softly, "Merlin, Harry! You're… You're _beautiful!_"

Harry felt himself flushing in embarrassment and looked away from Hermione's admiring gaze. Thus, he missed Ron's anger and resentment at Hermione's reaction. There was no competing with Harry now, what with him looking like that. Ron couldn't help but feel like he was second rate yet again. Even with him being a prefect, even with his father's promotion and pay raise, and even after he had spent weeks almost alone with Hermione… If he had ever had a chance with Hermione, he could feel it slipping from his grasp and there was nothing he could do to stop it. With one glance, Harry had taken away all of his hard work.

Fortunately, before Ron could make a fool of himself, Harry led them back to the Gryffindor table and told them the latest revelation about himself. He didn't tell them about the prophecy or about any of the Order's plans – while he was fully aware that they would want to know, if the events at the Department of Mysteries had taught him anything, it was that they were out of their league. They were better off not knowing – then, they couldn't do anything rash and get hurt in the process. Harry bit his lip, waiting for their reactions.

Seeing the smile and the glint in Hermione's eyes that meant she wouldn't rest until she knew all she could about the Magi, Harry released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. He let Hermione ask question after question, since it was one of the rare occasions where she hadn't even read about the subject in question. Ron, however, remained silent. The only thing betraying his true feelings was the look on his face, the wistful, sort of jealous look that said to those who knew him, "Harry Potter's done it again!" Seeing it, Hermione tried to snap Ron out of it without alerting Harry and tried to keep Harry distracted so that he wouldn't notice. Neither was working, unfortunately. Harry had hoped Ron's reaction would be encouraging and was disappointed and hurt to find out that his worst fear in telling his best mate had come true. After all they had been through, after all the horrible things that had happened to Harry, whenever anything remotely good happened, Ron couldn't help but be jealous of it. Well, Harry had had enough. He shot Hermione an apologetic look before leaving the Hall. He was not going to stay there while Ron brooded and acted like an arse.

As soon as Hermione thought he was out of earshot, she started to rebuke Ron for acting like a complete idiot once again. A part of Harry was glad Ron was getting some kind of a punishment for hurting him.

Needing a distraction, he mindcalled Snape. / _Professor Snape? Are you busy? Would you like to try the animagus spell now? _/

Snape was taken off-guard and answered, almost with excitement. /_ Now? Where? _/

Harry suppressed a laugh – he'd never heard Snape sound so excited and yet apprehensive at the same time. He sent back/_ Wherever you would be most comfortable, Professor._ /

He could sense vaguely as Snape considered and discarded various places. / _In the Slytherin common room. Do you know the way there? _/

Harry had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing – oh, if he only knew about the trio's adventure with the Polyjuice Potion in their second year… Refusing to think about it now, Harry quickly answered/_ I'll meet you there, Professor. _/

* * *

Severus Snape looked around the empty common room in the Slytherin Dungeons. It had been almost twenty years since he had last attempted the Animagus Spell. He was proud to have been a Slytherin, but even here, he hadn't fit in. He hadn't had any friends and it had made him so lonely that he had focused almost totally on his studies, much the way, though he hated to admit it, Granger did. She, of course, had friends and even succeeded in achieving top marks – he had failed to achieve either of those things during his time as a Hogwarts student. No matter how much he had studied, he could not beat Black and Potter in anything except Potions. It had infuriated him so much that he, when not studying, had spent his spare time trying to get the Marauders in trouble. After all these years, he could finally admit that he hated them partly because he envied them.

He heard the entrance open behind him and turned to see Harry step inside. "The last person I would have ever expected to see in this room," he remarked dryly.

"Oh, I don't know… Did you know that the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin?" asked Harry, his voice purposely nonchalant but still held a wisp of laughter in it. He did laugh though seeing the look of surprise and disbelief on Snape's face. "It's true. The Hat told me I would do well in Slytherin and that Slytherin would help me on my way to greatness. But I didn't want greatness – I just wanted to belong. The first friend I ever had told me that all the witches and wizards that went bad were from Slytherin House. Plus, I had met Malfoy and I really didn't like him and the Hat had put him in Slytherin. So I told the Hat that I didn't want to be in Slytherin and it let me be a Gryffindor."

"Should have figured you'd have gotten your way," Snape grumbled, saying the only thing he could think of to say. He was glad Potter hadn't been in Slytherin. He would have been miserable, his free spirit all but broken in such a stifling environment.

They headed over to the chairs by the fireplace. As they sat down, Snape tried to shift his point of view. He was not sitting with his student, Harry Potter, but with Harry Magus, soon to be the most powerful Magus in history, who was about to help him achieve something he had given up dreaming about. But he still remembered every detail of the spell, every word, focus point and gesture needed for the first transformation.

Snape took a deep breath and stood up in an open area of the room. He meticulously executed the spell to perfection, but nothing happened except for a slight flutter in the pit of his stomach. With a bleak expression on his face, Snape looked at Harry. "Blast it, Potter! Are you sure- "

Harry softly interrupted him. "Professor Snape, you're not a child anymore. You are no longer an insecure young Slytherin who the Marauders taunted and teased. Your magic has grown, just as you have. You have more than enough power to do this, I know it. Believe in yourself, your magic and focus on the creature that you want to become."

Snape fought the despair and he felt the presence of the Magus within him, guiding him, giving him strength and hope. Nodding at Harry, he repeated the spell, focusing all his will on making it succeed. With the final incantation, he completely transformed into a black leopard.

Harry's powerful presence put his new body immediately on alert, and it took a bit longer than he'd expected to calm his body down. He slowly prowled towards the mirror Harry conjured for him and admired his sleek form. He was completely black and he was about six feet in length. It was remarkable how much more acute his senses were. Fighting his desire to dash out of the room and test out his new body, Snape changed back. After all, there will be more than enough time later to see how fast and powerful his leopard form was.

For a moment, the expression on Snape's face was one of peace and satisfaction, before it slipped back into his usual façade.

"So, Potter, I believe you have things to do and I have some work for the Headmaster that needs to be finished tonight." Snape was trying to slip back into their old relationship and understanding why, Harry began to head out without a word. Just as Harry was almost out the door, Snape whispered, barely loud enough for Harry to hear, "By the way, thank you, Harry." Smiling in sincere happiness for Snape, Harry quietly left the room.

* * *

Draco Malfoy calmly walked down the marble staircase of his home, his body moving languidly, almost carelessly, though his eyes betrayed his nervousness.

He wasn't at all sure why he even felt this way – it was just breakfast with his family. Of course, it would be the first breakfast that they would have as a family in months since his father had been sent to Azkaban before Draco had returned to the Manor. Draco repressed a shudder as he thought of the night almost a week ago. When the Dark Lord didn't even attempt to break into the wizarding prison to free his father as well as the other captured Death Eaters, his mother took the initiative and spent an inordinate amount of money bribing several officials to claim Lucius Malfoy had been operating under the Imperius Curse. After Fudge himself was paid handsomely to make sure the farce of a trial went a certain way, his father was granted a pardon.

Lucius had returned that very night, and it was something Draco hoped he would never see again. Lucius Malfoy, the very man he utterly idolized, had been stick thin, his pale skin a sickly ashen colour and his hair limp and greasy. What horrified Draco the most, however, had been his father's eyes – the piercing stare that could intimidate and terrorize even the bravest of souls was gone and only a defeated gaze remained in its place. Though the Dementors had left Azkaban, they had left their mark in the wizarding prison. The people who guarded the Fortress had been cruel, depriving and insulting his father to the point where they had literally broken him in the weeks he had been imprisoned in Azkaban, leaving behind a shell of a man who had tried to act like a Malfoy in front of his wife and son but instead had utterly failed. Since then, Draco hadn't seen even a wisp of his father – he had simply been told by his mother that he was recuperating.

In the weeks after his father's imprisonment, the Malfoy name had been completely disgraced and dragged through the proverbial mud. They had fallen from the top of the political and social chain in the wizarding society and his mother had been furious. Although not many were aware, Narcissa Malfoy was a brilliant witch. She had not been raised as a Black and married off to a Malfoy for just her beauty – she equalled his father in many ways, one of the reasons why Lucius had remained as a favourite of the Dark Lord's as well as the envy of the wizarding society. She had also been the only reason the Ministry had been unable to confiscate their vast fortune or ransack the Manor in search for evidence against Lucius – while he had been doing the Dark Lord's bidding, she had transferred everything he had to herself and Draco.

Still, even with their fortune, no 'respectable' wizarding family wanted to associate with the Malfoys. Of course, many others were in the same boat – the Crabbes, Averys and Macnairs, to name a few. But none had held the same position in society as the Malfoys did, all the more reason why his mother had been livid.

Though she hadn't said a word to him, Draco had a vague idea of what she wanted to do. She was nothing like her crazy sister Bellatrix – she despised notoriety and would kill and die before becoming a social pariah and a disgrace. The fact that she had endured it for that long was a miracle in itself. Though by no means were the Malfoys fully back upon the pedestal they had resided on before, they were certainly getting there. The front page article in the_ Daily Prophet_ had helped as well. The headline had read: _Lucius Malfoy is Innocent!_ The article was exactly what his mother had paid for – Lucius had been falsely accused and imprisoned and he suffered tremendously for weeks at the Ministry's hands. There were interviews and statements that boasted the excellence of the Malfoy family and their importance in wizarding society was emphasized with interviews from various charities they donated to each year, and with a list of all the functions his mother hosted and led. Rita Skeeter closed the article with the statement from the Minister himself, who sincerely apologized to Lucius as well as the rest of the Malfoy family for the grief the Ministry caused them in their efforts to service justice, and vowed that he would do everything to ensure that something like this did not happen again.

Swallowing his apprehension, Draco pushed open the doors that led to the dining room and entered proudly, nodding respectfully to his father and giving his mother a soft kiss on the cheek in greeting before sitting down in his seat. He was glad to see his father looked much better, undoubtedly due to numerous potions and healing he'd received in the few days he'd been back.

The conversation throughout breakfast was purposefully light. Should they go to France for a week? Draco would need the latest fashions before heading back to Hogwarts, after all. What NEWT-level subjects was Draco thinking of taking? The idle chitchatting continued until they finished their meal.

Leaving the house-elves to clear the table, Lucius and Narcissa headed into the living room with Draco reluctantly following them. They seated themselves on the lush sofa beside the fireplace and Draco gracefully sat on the chair across from them. "You're leaving the Dark Lord's service," Draco stated quietly but firmly, disguising his nervousness by carefully folding his shaky hands across his lap.

"It's necessary, darling," Narcissa spoke airily, though Draco could hear the steely undertone.

Lucius remained quiet as he contemplated the decision for the millionth time. Lucius, before he had been sent to Azkaban, had never once regretted becoming a Death Eater. It had given him power and wealth (not that he needed the latter), something all Slytherins naturally craved. Although not his favourite part, he hadn't minded bowing down to the Dark Lord too much simply because he was much more powerful than Lucius could ever hope to be (since Lucius would never physically alter himself for more power), and Lucius had agreed with his visions for the wizarding world. He still did, but he also had pride. It was one thing to bow down to someone superior than yourself in private for the sake of greater goals; it was quite another to have his name publicly disgraced. Even with all the wealth they still had, there was no fear, no respect for them anymore, something he as a Malfoy simply did not tolerate.

But leaving wasn't simple either – the public opinion of them would be the least of their problems once he and his family chose to leave the Dark Lord's service. He, as well as Narcissa, knew neutrality was impossible. No matter what decision he made, it was almost a given that his family would not escape unscathed – unless he became what Severus had been for years. If he were to become a spy, then his family would remain safe and at the end of the war, if he survived, he would be hailed as one of the heroes and the Malfoy name would be fully restored to its former glory.

Draco carefully examined his father who continued to remain silent, although he returned Draco's stare with one of his own. Draco was relieved to note that his father's eyes looked just like they always had, though there was a hint of resigned tiredness in them that hadn't existed before. It then hit Draco. "You're going to spy on the Dark Lord for Dumbledore and Potter!" he cried out in shock.

A part of Draco hoped he was wrong. It wasn't because he had to work with Potter (although that was a factor); he knew what the Dark Lord did to those who betrayed him. If he ever found out about his father's betrayal…

Draco's wishes, however, went unanswered. His father gave a slight nod, agreeing with his observation. Draco closed his eyes, lest he give away what he was feeling. He actually wasn't even sure what he was feeling – while he was glad he would never have to bow down to a madman nor suffer pain for the Dark Lord's pleasure, another part of him hated that he would effectively work against his beliefs. Not that he wanted all Mudbloods and Muggles dead – however, he firmly believed that pure-bloods were far superior and should not have to associate with them. Plus, working with Dumbledore and Potter… Draco couldn't hold back the shudder.

"Darling, I'm sure you realize why we must do this. Working with Dumbledore and Potter is, unfortunately, a necessity we cannot avoid."

Draco released a terse sigh. "What do I have to do?"

"I will go to the Dark Lord and propose a plan that will get you close to Potter in guise of spying on them. You can then relay our… change in sides to Dumbledore. As a sign of good faith, offer to take Veritaserum. We need their trust if we are to come out of this on top."

Draco nodded his acquiescence and with his father's dismissal, headed up to his room to grab his broom. He needed to think and flying always calmed him down and made him see things a bit more clearly afterwards. He needed it, especially after the revelation he'd just received.

* * *

Harry, tired of wandering around the castle, was about to head to his room when Dumbledore mindcalled, letting him know that Ron and Hermione had returned and were waiting for him in the Great Hall. Not really sure what they wanted, Harry slowly walked over.

Ron, after he had been thoroughly chewed out by Hermione, realized once more that his relationship with Harry was far more important than petty jealousy. He knew he still needed to work on accepting himself for who he was and not compare his achievements to that of everyone around him, but he was certain he would eventually get there with the full support of his two best friends. And if Hermione and Harry wanted something more than friendship, then he would stand aside and cheer them on.

When Harry entered the Great Hall, Ron apologized, his feelings written all over his freckled face. "I'm sorry. You're my best mate and I hurt you. I swore I would never let anything like that happen again after the whole Triwizard thing fourth year and I did. I'm sorry for acting like a complete prat and an arse. Forgive me?"

Knowing Ron was sincere, Harry nodded. Harry wondered if there would ever come a time when he wouldn't be able to forgive Ron for hurting him so badly, or if the fights and Ron's jealousy would one day become too frequent and too much for Harry to simply just sweep it all under the rug. Harry hoped that day would never happen – he didn't want to lose his best mate.

"Just don't do it again or the next time it happens, I'm going turn your hair green and your skin silver and tattoo onto your forehead "I'm a git!". I might also tattoo "I love the Malfoys" and "Snape is my hero" on both of your cheeks. And don't think I won't be able to – in fact, with Wild Magic, I can probably make it permanent."

Shuddering at the mental image, Ron nodded. Hermione, glad that things were normal once again, pulled both boys down so that they could sit and for the next half hour, Great Hall was filled with laughter and jokes as the three best friends were reunited.

Harry had been in the middle of telling them about the breakfast with Tonks and Snape when he heard Ron's stomach rumble in hunger. They laughed at that as Ron blushed. Harry said with laughter in his voice, "I'll go fetch some food for us from the kitchens. Be right back." And with that, he Apparated straight to the kitchens, leaving a bewildered Hermione to say, "You can't apparate in Hogwarts! It's impossible! It says so in _Hogwarts: A History_!"

* * *

As soon as Harry reappeared with a small feast for them, before he could even put down the food, Hermione was all over him, trying to find out how he had Apparated, something she knew to be impossible. His response had been a simple, "Don't believe everything you read, Hermione," while he resized the food for Ron. The comment had scandalized her so much that Harry had ended up on his knees, apologizing to her for insulting her favourite book, _Hogwarts: A History_.

He eventually explained that he was merely sliding around the Anti-Apparition wards, and that it was probably only possible because he was a Magus. Her questions, however, gave him an idea and he noted to himself that he'd ask Dumbledore if he could look at the defensive system of Hogwarts. It would not only save the Circle time but it could help maintain their secrecy if they could Apparate instead of having to walk.

They had just finished eating when he told them about his experiences with being an animagus. Hermione looked at Harry, bright-eyed. "Right, Magi always have two animagus forms. Which two did you choose?"

"Er… I kind of didn't. I'm a multianimagus – I don't have a limit in the number of forms I can take."

"What? But that's impossible! No one has an unlimited animagus forms!"

"Hermione, I tend to defy all logic, remember?"

This of course led to Hermione ordering Harry to transform into at least a dozen animals until Harry told Hermione that as a fledgling Magus, he needed to exhibit careful control or else he could burn himself out and die. Continuously taking on animagus forms wasn't putting him in any danger, but he did promise Dumbledore he'd take it easy and so he didn't feel guilty about twisting the truth a little; well, that was until Hermione burst into tears for almost killing Harry.

Her actions had made Hermione feel so guilty that Harry, feeling bad for causing all of this in the first place, quickly changed the topic to take her mind off of it by introducing something else that needed her attention.

"Listen, you guys. I was thinking about this and I want us to continue the DA over the summer. Due to your friendship with me, you two are more of a target. I don't want what happened at the Department of Mysteries to ever happen again. The next time you guys end up getting involved in something, I want you to be able to fight and defend yourselves when necessary."

"Sure Harry – at least you're not trying to leave us behind! We were worried that you would try to push us away. I'm glad you aren't though – we're best mates and we're with you every step of the way. Even if I act like a prat sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

Ron blushed and his entire face was red enough to match his hair. "Very funny, Harry."

"How exactly do you plan to do this, Harry? I mean, most of us in the DA aren't allowed to use magic over the summer."

"Have you ever noticed how I'm the only one who gets notices from the Ministry for underage magic? I mean, I'm not the only one who does it, and no one else gets letters from the Improper Use of Magic Office. And the notice occurred even when I didn't cast the spell – it was Dobby. That got me thinking, and I'm pretty sure I'm right about this. The Ministry can't detect who it was that cast the spell – they can only detect where and what spell it was. So, if the spell was cast in an area where many wizards and witches live, they don't bother sending the letters because it's impossible to figure out who used it. And any spells cast in an area where there is already a heavy concentration of magic won't be noticed – for example, Hogwarts. I think the Ministry merely keeps an eye out for those who live in areas with high population of Muggles for fear of discovery. I live in an area with no other witches and wizards, and since I'm the "Boy Who Lived", the wards on Privet Drive are made to detect even the slightest use of magic in case of an attack. That's why I get notices when no one else does. So, if the DA is held here at Hogwarts over the summer, I don't think the Ministry will be able to notice anything strange going on."

"You've really thought about this, haven't you mate?"

"Harry, that's brilliant! How often do you think we should meet? And should we include all the members of the DA? I mean, there could be trouble if any of the parents found out and objected to it."

"I think we should tell the truth to those we trust. To the rest, we can send owls to see if any of them would be interested. We'll tell them that we're thinking of petitioning the Ministry to allow us to continue the DA over the summer in light of Voldemort's return. It's not for certain but we just wanted to know if they'd be interested. To those who are, we'll let them know."

"I'll get all the letters sent later today. I'll personally owl Neville and Luna; we can tell Fred, George and Ginny when we get back to the Order Headquarters. By the way, Harry, are you going to tell anyone else about you being a Magus? Or are you going to keep it a secret?"

"The only people who know so far are the two of you, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Remus, Tonks, Moody and Mr Weasley. I'm sticking to the magical growth spurt explanation for now. I feel bad about not telling anyone else, especially your family Ron, but the more people who know, the more in danger they are. The only reason the two of you know are because you are my best mates and I didn't want this to come between us. I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm asking you to keep it to yourselves for now. I'll let the others know when I've gotten used to the idea myself."

"You do realize Ginny will be furious with you for not letting her know sooner?" Hermione pointed out.

When Harry cringed in response, Hermione grinned but agreed to keep it to herself for now. Ron zipped his lips and pretended to eat the key. As they laughed, Harry tried to come up with a way to ask them to join the Magus Circle. When none of the approaches sounded right in his head, Harry decided it would be easier to just jump in with both feet. If he sounded stupid, then so be it – making a fool of himself in front of his friends wasn't exactly new, after all.

"Ron, Hermione, we've been friends for five years now, and although things have always happened to me, we've managed to somehow stick together and come out okay. Being a Magus though is the biggest change I've gone through so far and I know that I'll be getting caught up with the Order business and the Circle, leaving hardly any time for us. I don't want us to drift apart, nor do I want to lose you, either of you. So I was thinking that I could create a separate Circle with a mindspeech link between us, something just for us, providing me with a place where I can be me, just Harry, when the Magus business gets to be too much."

As Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then at Harry, they knew this was something they wanted, a special tie among just the three of them, a deep friendship that would last no matter where their lives took them. Hermione began. "Harry, I pledge to do all I can to help the work you have before you, and to be your friend when the rest of the world wants too much of you. Ron, please be my friend for always, no matter what disagreements may come up. I promise to stand by you, always."

"Hermione, we'll always be friends, no matter what. Harry, I pledge you my friendship for always, and I'll do everything I can to help you in your work."

"Ron, Hermione, I pledge my friendship and protection to both of you for as long as we live... _Sodalis!_"

Leaving his two best friends to experiment with the mindspeech link, Harry quickly sent to Dumbledore his idea about finding a way for them all to be able to Apparate within Hogwarts, as well as his idea about continuing with the DA over the summer.

_/ An excellent idea, Harry! I'll let Severus and Minerva know so that they can help you with the school defences after dinner. And continuing the DA is a great idea, though I do hope you'll come up with another acronym. I gathered the last time that the Ministry was not at all happy with me having my own army. Set up a training schedule and let me know. / _

_

* * *

_

Lucius Malfoy Apparated to just outside the doorway of the Dark Lord's throne room. Making sure his Occlumency shields were at their maximum, he knocked and waited for acknowledgement before he walked up to the throne and kneeled as he kissed the hem of his former master's robes.

"Rise, Lucius… I see that Azkaban did not affect you too badly."

Lucius fought to remain expressionless as he caught on to the underlying meaning of the inquiry. "My Lord, though the Ministry has pardoned me, I am still under their scrutiny. Ever since Fudge has allowed Dumbledore free reign, he has had the Aurors watching your faithful servant. I finally managed to elude them today, my Lord."

Voldemort gazed silently at one of his most talented servants for a few seconds before moving on, to Lucius's relief. "Due to Snape's treachery, I no longer have a spy within the Order. Find out how he managed to block the Dark Mark and kill him. Once that's complete, use your contacts within the Ministry to find out what the old fool's plans are."

"Master, if I may suggest... Snape is much more useful to you alive than dead, my Lord. He has no information that could harm you, and if he remains alive but still sought, Dumbledore's Order will be distracted, concentrating on keeping him safe instead of trying to discover your plans. And as for Dumbledore, my Lord… He is not as forthcoming with the Ministry as he is with his Order and Potter. If it pleases my Lord, I will see to it that my son, Draco, befriends Potter. He's a Gryffindor – far too trusting and naïve. My son will be able to get into their inner circle and find out information even Snape would have been hard-pressed to gain."

"Your ideas have merit," Voldemort mused. "So be it. If he does well, I might consider allowing him to bear the Mark earlier than even you did, Lucius." Lucius bowed and Apparated home, relieved to have gotten away without being hit by the Cruciatus Curse.

* * *

So what did you think? And a few notes: 

I chose the black leopard form for Snape rather than a raven because I believe the only reason Snape would choose to be a bird rather than some other form would be to have a fast escape. He's not like Harry or Draco who both love to fly. A black leopard, on the other hand, has the speed, ability to hide, patience while stalking prey and utter silence when moving, which is perfect for spying, something I'm sure Snape would look for in an animagus form. And a leopard is powerful and has the ability to defend itself from attacks. All in all, it suits him much better than a raven, in my opinion.

Also, Abbey pointed out to me that I completely forgot to elaborate on the whole mindspeech/mindspeaker thing. Since mindspeech isn't telepathy, Harry shouldn't have been able to sense Snape discarding various locations in his head. However, Harry is a true mindspeaker, and as such, can pick up stray and unguarded thoughts of those around him, unless he actively blocks it out. This issue comes up in more detail next chapter, but I thought I would explain it here anyway. Of course, since Snape is an excellent Occlumens, there shouldn't have been any stray thoughts escaping his shields; however, his excitement over being an animagus made him a bit more careless than he should have been. Anyways, more information about blocking and shielding comes up in the next few chapters when one of the Gryffindor Trio end up almost losing his/her mind when he/she has difficulty blocking things out.

Please review and let me know what you think!


	6. Birthday Celebration

Hi everyone! Thanks for all of your reviews – please keep them coming! Constructive criticism is welcomed as well – it's the only way I can improve as a writer. Besides, I like knowing when I'm doing something right or wrong!

**hmm**: I'm not rewriting The Awakening of a Magus. As I've said in the beginning, I am writing a post-Order of the Phoenix, slash "version" of the-dreamer4's story. Thus, various parts of what happens in this story occur in hers. But that doesn't mean it'll continue to be like that for long; I am ultimately writing a different story with a different plot. It's just that I'm trying to "set the scene" in a way. Because my story is based on The Awakening of a Magus (in a sort of a spin-off), the characters in my story all have same or similar powers to what has already been written. Harry is a Magus; Dumbledore is his Mentor; Draco, Ron and Hermione each have their own "powers" as well. However, just because those points are the same does not mean that all I plan to do is take her story and merely change various parts of it to make it into a Harry/Draco story. That's not it at all. It will be a different story altogether. But before my story can go in its unique way, all the basics, like the relevant characters' powers, need to be in place. That's why it's so similar to hers at the moment.

As for the destroyed Burrow – that idea was my own. As far as I know, it's not in The Awakening of a Magus at all. One of the reasons I wrote it into my story is because Voldemort now knows what a nuisance Harry's friends, particularly Ron and Hermione, have become. Before the fifth year, Harry has had to face Voldemort alone. Sure, Ron and Hermione have helped Harry get there, but Voldemort hasn't seen that. He's only faced Harry each and every time. The Department of Mysteries is the first time Voldemort and his Death Eaters have really seen Harry's friends fighting by his side. And even though they were completely outnumbered and weren't fully trained wizards and witches, they managed to hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Not everyone their age could have done that. That's why I think it's certainly possible for them to have some unexpected strengths and powers. Anyways, as for why there was only one sentence describing the Burrow's demise – I didn't really find it that relevant. No one had been at home; Voldemort hadn't even been there with the few Death Eaters who managed to destroy it. And it was more of a point that they were not safe, that they're now a target, than some battle of importance. I just found the reactions of the Weasleys and the others, particularly Harry's, to be more important than describing the destruction of the Burrow. So that's why there's only a sentence saying the Burrow was destroyed, but a few paragraphs regarding people's feelings about said destruction.

I'm sorry you feel that this story isn't worth reading. I do hope that my explanations sway you to at least stick around for the next few chapters when my own plot starts to really take off – you could judge for yourself then whether or not I'm merely revising the-dreamer4's story. But if not, thanks for reading thus far.

**Selune:** I'm glad you like it! And yes, it is H/D slash (along with Remus/Severus, Ginny/Neville and Ron/Hermione). And I'm totally flattered that you're recommending my story on your livejournal!

**Draeconin**: I'm glad you like the story! And the DA stood for Defence Association at first, but was changed to mean Dumbledore's Army to piss off Fudge and the Ministry, I believe. It was Ginny's idea. I can't give you the exact page number since I don't have my HP books, but you can check it out at Lexicon. And as for the animagi choosing the wizard thing, thanks for letting me know. It's been awhile since I've read the books so I'm a bit rusty… I checked Lexicon before I wrote it but they didn't have that information (or I wasn't looking hard enough). As far as grammar goes, I do have two/three betas at the moment, though I do tend to change things a bit once I get feedback from them as well. Anyways, let me know of other mistakes you've found so I can edit any mistakes in the previous chapters. Thanks for the info and let me know if I slip up elsewhere!

Huge thanks to my beta, Earthwytch, for her continued patience!

* * *

**Chapter Six: Birthday Celebration **

Harry woke up with a start, sweat beading on his forehead and his breathing sounding much too loud to his ears. Calming his racing heart, Harry glanced at the clock and groaned when he realized it was just past ten at night – he had barely slept for three hours before his nightmares had forced him awake.

Harry regretted asking Dumbledore to not interfere with his dreams – he had been so sure he wouldn't have any problems sleeping as he had been absolutely exhausted after not only keying in his Circle so that they could Apparate within Hogwarts, but also having improved and strengthened the existing wards. He had fallen asleep even before his head had hit the pillow.

Exhausted but knowing that falling back asleep was impossible, he headed to the library to do some 'light' reading since breakfast was still hours away. He contemplated flying, but he didn't want to chance getting caught. Besides, the last thing he needed was some time to think – thinking would lead to remembering and he'd rather not face the topic of his nightmares unless he had to. He already knew he'd be hearing about this from Dumbledore come morning.

He apparated directly to the Library and created a few globes of light to brighten the area immediately around him. The eeriness of the light and the utter silence made the hairs at the back of Harry's neck stand on end. The overall effect made Harry remember the scary stories his cousin Dudley used to tell him when they were younger. Even though Harry had known intellectually that there really was no such thing as monsters, he had still been afraid to be locked back in his cupboard under the stairs at night. Harry remembered keeping the lone light on, hoping no one would notice and remove the only source of comfort he had. Of course, he now knew the truth – the monsters Dudley had tormented him with really did exist. Harry grinned evilly as he thought of ways he could completely terrorize his bullying cousin with his shapeshifting abilities.

Shaking his head to dispel the thought – no matter how tempting it was – Harry headed to the massive section on Defence and pulled a few books that sounded interesting from the shelves. But due to the speed at which he was able to read, by the time everyone awoke, he had finished reading every Defence book in the entire library, including those in the Restricted Section. He had also read the majority of the books on Charms, Potions and Transfiguration, particularly their uses pertaining to Defence and duelling.

Breakfast was filled with teases and questions from the adults as well as Ron and Hermione, once the "Happy Birthdays" were said. Harry had been surprised – with everything going on, he had completely forgotten that it was his birthday. It was the first time since he could remember that he hadn't stayed up on the eve of his birthday, waiting for the clock to strike midnight.

The adults were all impressed and delighted that he now knew probably more than some professors out there – though Snape and McGonagall insisted he be personally taught by them, saying that theory was nothing if you couldn't do the practical aspect. Dumbledore kept his eye on Harry, the twinkle in them muted with worry, though he didn't say a word, to Harry's relief.

Ron joked that he had another Hermione on his hands while Hermione, who had at first been jealous that he had not only read all the books, but that he had access to some things in the Restricted Section she wasn't even allowed to look at, realized she could benefit from his knowledge and began to hound Harry with questions. Harry didn't really mind – now that his intellectual and reasoning abilities were much improved, he found he enjoyed debating with Hermione on various topics he had only rolled his eyes at before. Still, no matter how much he now enjoyed the varied discussion, nothing could keep him away from Quidditch – Harry was easily lured away by Ron who brought up the latest news from Puddlemere United.

Throughout breakfast, Harry could feel his Circle communicating with each other and though they tried their best to shield the topic from him, he was able to find out what it was about. Still, he was happy that they wanted to throw him a surprise birthday party, something he had never had before, and so he went along with it, pretending that he had no clue what was going on. When Tonks suggested that they go to Diagon Alley in guise of a shopping trip to get him away from Hogwarts, he agreed without making too much of a fuss. Of course, Remus and Snape came along as well, since Remus could now afford to buy some new clothes (Sirius had left Remus his personal vault in his will) and Snape wanted to get out of the castle before he was roped into decorating for the party. Besides, even with Harry's improved strength, there really was no such thing as too much protection.

They Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron; fortunately, Harry didn't fall on his face when he stepped out of the fireplace – he discovered that his Magus abilities helped him maintain his balance. Once they cleaned up the mess Tonks's klutz attack caused the pub, they headed over to Gringotts, surprisingly not attracting any of the "Boy Who Lived" attention since no one could tell who Harry was. Nevertheless, there were plenty of people staring at the odd group, especially many of the witches and even some wizards, who sent admiring glances at Harry. Harry, not used to so much attention in that way, turned bright red and kept his head down, to the never-ending amusement of Tonks, Remus and Snape.

After exchanging half the Galleons he collected from his vault into pounds, they spent what felt like hours at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Tonks was having a blast, dressing Harry up like a Ken doll, along with Madam Malkin, who was glad Harry was finally getting some decent clothes for a change. Remus also shared his plight, though he didn't have it nearly as bad as Harry did. By the time Snape took pity on his companions and dragged Tonks out of the store, Harry had bought enough wizarding clothes, both formal and casual, to last him a lifetime. Glad to finally be able to leave, he paid Madam Malkin extra to have it all delivered to Hogwarts. Harry consoled himself with the fact that his clothes weren't poncy at least; he wouldn't look at all like how Lockhart used to.

The trip to London was much more fun. Having never had anything as a child, nor even allowed into the stores, Harry thoroughly enjoyed himself. Even though he didn't much like shopping, he still went into every store that he had wanted to when he was younger. He bought a few Muggle games that Dudley had in his vast collection – he planned to introduce them to Ron and hopefully entice Ron enough to get out of playing wizard's chess for awhile. Harry also bought a CD Walkman and a whole bunch of CDs that a sales associate recommended. He had been tempted to purchase a computer, but since he had no idea how to use one, he left it alone.

Harry's childlike enthusiasm over the simplest things curbed even Snape's venomous tongue and so no objections were made when Harry continued to venture into various shops. Once Harry had his fill, they headed into a department store and Tonks once again began to pile clothing into Harry's arms. One of the sales associate there, smelling money, came to help out; in the end, he even got Snape to purchase some new clothes (although Snape insisted he only did it to shut the sales associate up).

Arms laden with bags filled with more clothes, shoes and other 'necessary' accessories than Harry had ever thought he'd have, they left the store and dragged Tonks back to the Leaky Cauldron and Flooed to Hogwarts before she could wander over to yet another clothing store. Knowing that the preparations weren't yet ready, Harry allowed Tonks to pick an outfit for him to wear and let her fuss over it for far longer than necessary before eventually heading down to the Great Hall for a late lunch. He acted completely shocked at the shouts of surprise; and in a way he was – he hadn't expected the entire Order and all of his friends from Hogwarts to show.

Even though everyone had been told beforehand of Harry's magical growth spurt, they were still shocked when they saw how much he had changed. As they broke out in whispers over Harry's new look, Fred and George, noticing Harry's discomfort, approached him with matching grins on their faces.

"Ooohh! Ickle Harry's got a birthday!" the Weasley twins crowed. Quick flicks of their wands made a potion vial that had been charmed to be invisible appear. The vial and its colourless contents were then upended on top of Harry's head. However, the new Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes failed to work, Harry's shield having protected him from the potion's effects (the recipient of the potion would have sprouted dozens of snakes on top of their head, which had been charmed to spell out various words – in this case, "Birthday Boy" – for twenty-four hours before disappearing in a fabulous array of fireworks). The twins paused, completely puzzled at the failure of their newest Wheezes – they had worked on it for days on end just for the occasion and the tests had been a complete success. They were attempting to try again when Harry had his wand out, growling and threatening to hex them if they didn't stop, in spite of the presence of Dumbledore and the other adults.

The Great Hall was beautifully decorated in Gryffindor colours and a red and gold banner that said "_Happy 16th Birthday, Harry!_" was over the teacher's table. All of guests were also wearing red and gold party hats (although Snape and Moody refused to even consider it). Harry was very touched at the effort they put into this and said so.

The house-elves had outdone themselves with an amazing lunch; Harry mentally made a note to thank Dobby, who he figured was behind it all. After eating more than he had previously thought was humanly possible, Harry opened his numerous presents. His friends got him various sweets and the members of DA gave him a picture frame that was charmed to say "#1 Teacher" whenever it was moved. Harry was pleased to see that the frame held a photograph of all the DA members smiling happily and joking around with each other – with the exception of Cho and Marietta who were absent in the photo. From the Weasleys, he received a handsome yet quite simple Muggle watch that had been charmed to function as a Portkey to take him directly to the Headmaster's office.

Fred and George (under the name of Gred and Forge) gave him paperwork that made him a partner, albeit a silent one – he now owned one third of the share of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Ignoring Harry's protestation that he didn't need any more money, they gave him an assortment of their new inventory of prank supplies and told him about hiring help for the upcoming school year since it looked like they were returning to Hogwarts to finish their NEWTs due to Molly's insistence. To their delight, Harry agreed to give them the money for whatever they would need since he was now a partner. They also informed him of the mail-order catalogue of their supplies that would be sent out to all the schools in Europe starting in the coming term. How the twins planned to invent new Wheezes and mass produce them while attending Hogwarts was beyond Harry, but he planned to support them no matter what happened.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny had pitched in to get Harry Quidditch-related items while Remus gave Harry a scrapbook of photos and various mementos that he had collected over the years the Marauders and Lily spent at Hogwarts. Even the presence of Wormtail in them couldn't detract Harry's happiness. It was the best gift Harry could have gotten and he told Remus so.

Moody and Tonks gave him a holster for his wand that could be attached to his clothes. While he didn't need his wand, appearances had to be maintained. The holster was charmed so that once the wand was placed inside the holster, the wand couldn't be removed by anyone other than the owner. Smiling at them both in thanks, Harry placed his wand inside the holster and attached it to his right hip.

Just as Harry thought he was done, a strange owl flew into the room with a small package from Hagrid and a note:

_Harry, _

_Happy 16th birthday! Madame Maxime is writing this letter for me – you know how I am with spelling. Sorry I didn't make it back in time for your birthday and about not making some of my usual treats for you. I promise to bake you some of my rock cakes as soon as I return to Hogwarts. Anyhow, I found this buried in a junk shop and cleaned it up a bit. Hope you like it – I think it'll remind you of someone. _

_Hagrid _

Harry grinned at those gathered around him. "Is it terrible that I'm grateful he couldn't make any of his treats for me this year?" There was a good deal of laughter from those who had experienced Hagrid's cooking.

Harry opened the carefully wrapped package. Inside was a small figurine of a hippogriff that looked just like Buckbeak, the hippogriff that Harry and Hermione had saved over two years ago. Buckbeak had been released into the Forbidden Forest by Hagrid before he had left with Madame Maxime to take Grawp back to the Giants. Harry hoped Buckbeak was well. The figurine was wonderful, even with the one broken foot that was inexpertly repaired. He held the figurine out to Hermione and Dumbledore; the former looked at it fondly, remembering the night she, Harry and Buckbeak saved Sirius from the Dementor's Kiss.

The lights went out as a huge birthday cake that had a Quidditch game playing was levitated onto the table. As everyone sang Happy Birthday and clapped as he avoided the flying broomsticks to blow out the candles, Harry thought to himself, _It can't get any better than this._

* * *

The OWL results arrived and further celebration ensued. Hermione received 10 OWLs, although she was upset she didn't get an Outstanding for all of them. Ron, who didn't take as many courses as Hermione did, got 7 OWLs, though he didn't get an Outstanding in Potions, to his sadness and delight. He wouldn't have to suffer through Snape anymore, but then he couldn't become an Auror. Ron and Hermione were shocked when Harry nonchalantly informed them that Snape was no longer teaching Potions – he was now their Defence Professor. Of course, that had Ron bemoaning at the fact that he'd have to endure Snape in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Harry smiled, remembering how stunned Snape had been when Harry had informed him of his newfound status as the Defence Professor. They had been talking about one of the shielding spells Harry had read in the Restricted Section of the library when Harry had realized how enthusiastic Snape had seemed about the subject. It had hit him then that Snape really did enjoy Defence and Harry deduced that Snape probably hadn't yet been told about the change in position yet. He had quickly thought to Dumbledore, _/ Albus, have you told Professor Snape about his new position/_ Hearing a chuckle accompanied by/_ I'll let you do the honours, Harry /_, Harry had smiled then casually mentioned to Snape, "You know, I swear that hating me is a requirement for Defence Against the Dark Arts professors – except for Moony, they all hated me. Considering how much you hate me too, it makes sense that you've got the position now."

Snape had been so stunned that he had been in too much of a shock to scold Harry properly when Harry had simply grabbed Snape's arm and Apparated to Dumbledore's office.

Laughing inwardly at the memory, Harry opened the letter containing his OWL results. His jaw dropped as he read the letter – he didn't think he had done so well, what with all that had happened last year. Yet he had received 9 OWLs, although that was only because he got an extra credit for his corporeal Patronus.

"Told you we didn't do badly, mate!" Ron crowed before being swept away by another one of Molly's hugs; she was bursting with happiness for her youngest son.

"I… I can't believe it!"

Harry's stunned pronouncement was met with a fierce hug from Ginny. "You deserve it, Harry! Listen, Ron and Hermione told us that you were planning on continuing the DA over the summer. I think it's a great idea and I think we should continue it even when school starts. Everyone's been telling me how well they did on their exams and such thanks to you – I'm sure if we talk to Dumbledore, he'll even bring back the Duelling Club. That would be fantastic, don't you think?"

"Whatever you want to do, Harry, we're with you," Neville added, glancing shyly at Ginny. At her beaming smile, he quickly looked back at Harry, blushing.

Harry looked back and forth between Ginny and Neville; seeing the matching red faces, he realized what was going on. Grinning slyly, he was about to speak when Hermione mindcalled, interrupting him.

/_ You know, Harry, I'm surprised at you! You're usually one of the last people to find out about things like this. Anyway, don't you dare say a word about it to Ron – Ginny's waiting for Neville to ask her out and if Ron interferes, he'll probably never do it. And don't you dare tease Neville about it either! _/

/ _I won't. But since when do Ginny and Neville like each other?_ /

Hermione paused in her answer, wondering if telling Harry would really be betraying Ginny's confidence since Harry had found out on his own. Besides, she needed Harry to not interfere and lightly encourage Neville to go for it. Not to mention the fact that she would need another person to hold Ron back once he found out about Neville dating his baby sister. Nodding to herself in agreement, she replied to Harry, glad to finally be able to tell someone about it all.

/ _Neville's liked Ginny ever since the Yule Ball, but she had been dating Michael Corner. After Neville tried to help Ginny from the Inquisitorial Squad and how he fought at the Department of Mysteries, Ginny thought Neville really brave. Now that she's no longer with Michael, Ginny's hoping Neville will ask her out on a date. They've been owling each other all summer. _/

Hermione's giddiness at Ginny and Neville's blossoming romance was infectious and it brought a genuinely happy smile onto Harry's face. Those who saw it breathed a sigh of relief – it had been too long since they had seen Harry truly relaxed and happy. They were glad he finally seemed to lose the thundercloud that had been over his head for months.

Leaving the two to make googly eyes at each other, Harry left and joined Ron who was talking with the twins about the prospects for Gryffindor winning the Quidditch and the House Cup the coming year. _Way to go, Neville_, Harry thought before steering the conversation to the newest Wheezes the twins created.

* * *

Since the staff of Hogwarts would be returning soon, Harry began to train earnestly with his Circle and Snape, though the duels weren't too effective since every curse they threw at him bounced off his shield and hit them instead. The duelling lessons then became more about dodging than anything else. Harry did remove his Magus shield but putting it in place was like a reflex and he couldn't keep it down unless he concentrated on doing so, which was almost impossible to do once the duels became heated.

Because Harry's shields were pretty much impossible to penetrate, they moved on to spells and curses, although considering how much Harry had read, Snape doubted there was a spell in existence that he was unaware of, unless it was Dark – though since he had also read from the Restricted Section, Snape wasn't sure about that either. They discovered that Harry's natural affinity for Defence and his Magus abilities, which helped him learn everything quickly, were an incredible combination. Even the most complicated of spells that some wizards never fully mastered, Harry got it perfectly on the first try.

The Magus training, however, left much to be desired. If Harry was careful, he _could_ use Wild Magic, like when he removed the Dark Mark from Snape or did work with the wards of Hogwarts, although it left him exhausted afterwards. But, when he used Wild Magic as a reflex like in a duel, the power flows threatened to escape his control and he often lost consciousness. It was frustrating, because no matter how many times Harry practiced with Dumbledore in the mornings, he couldn't fully control how much power he was exuding when it had to be done quickly. He could not reliably use the thing that made him a Magus. Dumbledore concluded that Harry was simply _too_ powerful, and would just need more time for his mind and body to adjust to the tremendous levels of raw power he had access to. It could take weeks... even months! Harry's patience was wearing thin – while the attacks thus far had been few and far between and was mostly in the Muggle world, Harry knew it was only a matter of time before Voldemort began his attacks in earnest.

* * *

Snape was 'teaching' Harry hand-to-hand combat and various other Martial Arts techniques. Unfortunately for Snape, his ego was becoming incredibly bruised. He, who had been studying these Arts for years, was being beaten by a sixteen year old boy. Granted, the boy was a Magus, but that didn't help soothe Snape's ego. Currently, they were training with swords, and Harry was winning, despite his lack of attention on the exercise – he was instead thinking about what had happened when he went shopping on his birthday almost a week ago.

Harry wasn't clueless enough to not know what was going on. He had grown up – he was taller now (6'2") and he knew people thought he was attractive, though he didn't quite see why. Harry still didn't like the attention and the looks he received further embarrassed him, but since there really was nothing he could do about it, like his fame, Harry did his best to ignore it. What occupied his thoughts though weren't about his looks – rather, it was about his reaction to certain people's thoughts. More specifically, what he had felt when he had heard some of the wizards thinking about what they wanted to do to and/or with him.

"Er… Professor, how do you know if you're gay?"

That out of the blue question froze Snape, and if Harry's reflexes had been less than stellar, Snape was certain he would have joined the Headless Hunt. "What?"

"How do you know if you're gay?"

Harry was mortified, but Snape's expression more than made up for it. Harry had never seen his professor look so flustered and he was enjoying the moment immensely.

"Potter… Perhaps you're better off talking about this with Lupin."

"I would, but Remus is away on a mission for Dumbledore. He's looking into the raids the Muggle libraries and museums have suffered for the last few weeks and making sure it wasn't wizards who broke into them. He won't be back for a week at least."

"Ah… Well, what brought this on?"

"When we went shopping and all those people were staring at me… As a mindspeaker, I can pick up people's thoughts if I don't consciously block it out. I did, when I found out what was happening, but… I heard some things before I blocked it out and it kind of got me thinking about whether or not I was gay…" Harry was scarlet now and Snape wasn't too far behind. Harry would never have in a million years thought he would be having this kind of a conversation with Snape of all people.

"Well, you are growing up – it's normal to experience out of control hormones at your age. It's also quite ordinary for young wizards and witches to experiment and explore their sexuality. Homosexuality is more easily accepted here than in the Muggle world. It's quite common, especially with some pure-blood families, to marry just for the sake of an offspring and have other relations once the required heir has been borne."

Snape was trying his best to not look like he wanted to flee, purposely keeping his tone even and looking everywhere else but at Harry. "Only you can determine whether or not it's just a flight of fancy or an actual interest, of course. But one of the fastest ways to tell is if the female form interests you. If it doesn't, then you're probably gay; if it does, you might not be, or you could be bisexual."

"I see. Thank you, Professor Snape. You've been very helpful."

At Snape's stiff nod of acknowledgement, Harry quickly left the Defence classroom and ran outside, needing to do something, anything, to get rid of his embarrassment. He suddenly remembered that he had not yet found out the details about his beastspeaking ability. Calling Hedwig to him – who brought a few of her friends because they didn't believe her when she told them her owner could speak in their tongue – he walked into the Forbidden Forest and spent the rest of the day talking to her and all the 'friendly' creatures. He even got a wolf pack to be sentries for him and let him know if there was something strange within the Forest that did not belong there.

It seemed like Dumbledore was correct in his guess when Harry had first discovered his beastspeaking ability – Harry found he could speak to all the creatures he encountered within the Forest. He learned quite a few things about certain creatures he knew Hagrid would love to know; Harry was making a note of it so that he could tell the half-giant when it hit him – Hagrid couldn't keep a secret to save his life. Unless Harry wanted his identity as a Magus to be found out, he couldn't tell the half-giant.

Harry's morose thoughts were interrupted by a baby unicorn who wanted to play. Deciding to worry about it later, he joined the unicorns in a game that was quite similar to freeze tag. All in all, it was one of the most interesting days he'd had so far – and that was saying something.

* * *

Harry was relaying his adventure into the Forbidden Forest during dinner, purposefully avoiding Snape's eyes (who was doing the same thing to him), when he sensed people at the gathering point just outside the wards. A quick glance to Dumbledore told Harry he was aware of it as well. Excusing himself, Harry left Dumbledore to inform everyone and headed towards the Entrance Hall to greet their newest guest.

* * *

Lucius, Narcissa, Draco and Draco's belongings appeared just outside the wards of Hogwarts. Draco, having already been told of all the details and plans, simply nodded in farewell at his father and allowed his mother to hug him before they Apparated back home, leaving Draco to fly to the castle on his broomstick. Using a spell to make his trunks follow him, he flew to the main entrance.

He was about to use the huge knocker on the door when it opened to reveal a completely changed Harry Potter, in decent clothes for a change. Though Draco hated to admit it, Potter looked amazing. It took everything in him to keep his jaw in place. Growing up 'Malfoy' had taught Draco how to appreciate quality and artistic perfection. What he saw put Greek statues and vast number of models to shame. Just over six feet tall, he could tell that Potter was remarkably muscular, though his clothes did their best to hide them. The only thing his green T and black trousers couldn't hide was his well-developed biceps. Potter's hair, which had always been an out-of-control mess, now looked well-tousled and rather sexy. It framed his face quite nicely and Draco realized that he could clearly see Potter's legendary emerald orbs for the first time since Potty wasn't wearing his awful glasses.

"Hello, Malfoy. I assume you're here to see the Headmaster? Just head over to his office – he's already there. I'll get your trunks down to the Slytherin Dungeons." Heeding Dumbledore's advice, Harry forced himself to sound polite. The last thing he needed was to get angry and let Malfoy know about his new status as a Magus. Still, he hadn't forgotten Malfoy telling him quite clearly that he'd get his just desserts for sending Lucius to prison. Thus, he braced himself for anything the blonde Slytherin might throw at him.

Draco, having been startled out of his examination of Potter (he refused to acknowledge that he had been checking out his nemesis), was about to start his usual tirade when he was interrupted. "Malfoy, I doubt you would be here, weeks before classes start, unless it was important. So why don't you just go see Dumbledore? We can continue this when you've finished." Without giving him a chance to reply, Harry pointed his wand at the trunks to make it float behind him and headed down to the Slytherin Dungeons, leaving a speechless Malfoy to stand in the Entrance Hall.

Regaining some of his composure, Draco headed towards Dumbledore's office as he mulled over what had just happened. There was something different about Potter besides his new appearance that he couldn't put a finger on... a quiet confidence, perhaps.

The entrance to the office was already open, and when he headed up the staircase, Snape was waiting with Dumbledore. Not at all surprised and wanting to get it all over with, Draco told them what he deemed necessary and answered all of their questions under Veritaserum. He did make it clear though that neither he nor his family had any intention of ever becoming a 'Gryffindor' – they were merely seeing to their own well-being. Dumbledore and Snape understood and welcomed him to their side, though they wanted to meet with his father themselves. Draco agreed to owl him, to find out if they could at least schedule a fire-call. Dumbledore, of course, insisted he be allowed to tell Potter (who Draco found out had had a magical growth spurt), something Draco had already expected and thus agreed.

Too tired and unwilling to join them for dinner, Draco just headed down to the kitchens for some food before going straight to the Slytherin common room. He was certain that tomorrow was going to be a long day and he was going to need all the rest he could get.

* * *

Hermione's OWL results:

**Ancient Runes:** Exceeds Expectations  
**Arithmancy:** Outstanding  
**Astronomy: **SC  
**Care of Magical Creatures: **Outstanding  
**Charms: **Outstanding  
**Defence Against the Dark Arts: **Outstanding  
**Herbology:** Outstanding  
**History of Magic:** Exceeds Expectations  
**Potions: **Outstanding  
**Transfiguration: **Outstanding

Ron's OWL results:

**Astronomy: **SC  
**Care of Magical Creatures: **Outstanding  
**Charms: **Exceeds Expectations  
**Defence Against the Dark Arts: **Outstanding  
**Herbology:** Exceeds Expectations  
**Divination:** Dreadful  
**History of Magic:** Poor  
**Potions: **Acceptable  
**Transfiguration: **Exceeds Expectations

Harry's OWL results:

**Astronomy: **SC  
**Care of Magical Creatures: **Outstanding  
**Charms: **Outstanding  
**Defence Against the Dark Arts: **Outstanding +  
**Divination: **Acceptable  
**Herbology:** Outstanding  
**History of Magic:** Dreadful  
**Potions: **Exceeds Expectations  
**Transfiguration: **Exceeds Expectations

Draco's OWL results:

**Ancient Runes:** Outstanding  
**Arithmancy:** Outstanding  
**Astronomy: **SC  
**Care of Magical Creatures: **Exceeds Expectations  
**Charms: **Exceeds Expectations  
**Defence Against the Dark Arts: **Exceeds Expectations  
**Herbology:** Outstanding  
**History of Magic:** Outstanding  
**Potions: **Outstanding  
**Transfiguration: **Exceeds Expectations

Neville's OWL results:

**Astronomy:** SC  
**Care of Magical Creatures: **Exceeds Expectations  
**Charms: **Exceeds Expectations  
**Defence Against the Dark Arts: **Outstanding  
**Divination:** Acceptable  
**Herbology:** Outstanding  
**History of Magic:** Acceptable  
**Potions: **Exceeds Expectations  
**Transfiguration: **Acceptable

**SC**: Special circumstances; automatic OWL given  
: One additional OWL given

* * *

I wasn't quite sure what classes Draco and Neville were in so I came up with what I hope is correct. If not, let me know and I'll fix it. And the reason Harry can't tell Hagrid, even if the half-giant joins the Magus Circle is that the security spell prevents the person from telling the guarded information only when it's not strictly voluntary. Veritaserum, Legilimency, drugs such as alcohol and torture won't work, since the person does not voluntarily consent - it's coercion. Hagrid, however, often tells the secret unknowingly - and that's not prevented by the security spell. 

Anyways... Don't forget to review!


	7. Training Begins

Hey everyone!

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! They make me giddy... which perhaps isn't the best thing... LOL

In the previous chapter, with the OWL scores, I made a note saying those who took Astronomy received an automatic OWL due to the disturbances while writing it. Below that, there was supposed to be a + which Harry received for his Defence OWL, indicating an extra OWL received for his practical. Anyways, the + wasn't posted... I hate it when that happens... Does anyone know how to fix things like that? Whenever I preview, it gets rid of spaces and characters... So annoying...

Also, I've mentioned this before, but apparently not everyone read it. I know for the Animagus Spell, the animal chooses the wizard, but I'm doing it a bit differently. 1) Because I didn't remember that detail from the books and I don't want to change it now and 2) because it actually works out better if the wizard chooses the animal. You'll see what I mean later.

**dihall **- I'm glad you liked it! I seem to have this fascination with Snape being embarrassed...LOL Harry hasn't "heard" Ron's real concerns regarding Harry and Hermione because he blocked off the thoughts when talking to his best friends. I should have probably mentioned this earlier. This all occurred when Harry was telling them about his identity as a Magus. He purposely made sure he wouldn't hear anything to give them privacy. In the Magus Circle though, because they're all linked, Harry can't help but sometimes hear the conversations or thoughts floating around the link. Harry hears unguarded thoughts if his shields are down or not up high enough. However, the Circle isn't used to mindspeech and so they project their thoughts "loudly" and since Harry is already connected to them, he'll get double the dosage - one from the link and the other from his ability as a mindspeaker. As the Circle gets used to mindspeech, the conversations will become private.

**Luke** - I'm so glad you're enjoying this! Thank you for such a thoughtful review. And Draco actually joins the rest of the gang right here in this chapter.

Thanks to my betas, Earthwytch and Abbey (On-A-Rainy-Day)!

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Training Begins! **

"You can't be serious!" Harry thought his disbelief and anger were quite justified under the circumstances as he faced down Snape and Dumbledore. Minerva, though she didn't say it, agreed with the young Magus. Tonks wasn't as restrained.

"You're not really buying that rubbish in the_ Prophet_, are you? If Lucius Malfoy is innocent, then I'm the Minister for Magic!"

"Of course he's not innocent! We all know that, don't we?" Harry looked at Dumbledore and Snape, trying to see if they were under the Imperius Curse – something that was probably impossible to do to Dumbledore – or had their memories tampered with.

"Harry, do stop that. Neither Severus nor I have been cursed. You all know that even if we still had Severus as a spy, any information from Lucius Malfoy would still have been extremely valuable. I realize, Harry, that you and the Malfoys don't get along-" Dumbledore ignored Harry's snort, "but I believe they are sincere in their wishes to change sides."

"Albus, you know there are ways to lie even under the influence of Veritaserum! This is utter nonsense!"

Snape sneered at Moody. "Stop being so paranoid, Mad-Eye. Draco Malfoy, no matter how highly he thinks of himself, cannot lie well enough to fool two skilled Legilimens while under the influence of Veritaserum."

Harry interrupted the death glares Snape and Moody were sending each other. "This could still be a trick from Lucius. You haven't spoken to him yet. Lucius could have lied to his son so that he could pass whatever test you gave him. Lucius probably has a private agenda of his own and we are falling for his trick right now!"

"Potter, Lucius Malfoy having his own agenda is a given. What matters is whether that agenda coincides with our own. For now, there is no harm in Draco staying at Hogwarts. If this is a trick from the Dark Lord and Lucius, then there's no harm done – Draco won't be able to find anything that could harm us. In fact, by befriending him, you may be able to convert Draco fully onto our side and save him from a horrible fate. That is if Draco is being played by Lucius. If he isn't, if Lucius is serious about being a spy for the Order, then we have gained three valuable allies."

"Lucius Malfoy has tried to kill me countless times!"

"Potter, have you never heard the phrase "Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer"?"

"Albus, are you sure about this?" Minerva asked quietly. At his nod, Moody and Tonks silenced whatever protests they were about to make.

"When do you plan on telling the Order?" Moody gruffly asked. He might have backed off for now but that didn't mean he was going to leave it be. He fully planned to make Dumbledore see reason.

Dumbledore ignored the question from Moody for the moment and instead tried to appease Harry, who was quite cross at being asked to get along with the two people who he most disliked in the world beside Voldemort, Bellatrix and Wormtail.

"Harry, I realize it's a difficult thing to ask you to do. I know your reasons for not liking Lucius are quite sound, and your disagreements with his son are legendary. It's not easy to set that aside. But often, we are asked to do things we don't like for the sake of the greater good. We are not asking you to trust Lucius, especially since I don't quite fully trust him myself. But life is all about giving people chances even if we feel they don't deserve it. Do you know why I so frequently give people second chances when they ask for it? It is because people are more inclined to do what is right after seeing what can happen if they do what is wrong. We are, after all, only human. It's not always easy to choose to do what is right. If we are careful, we will have lost nothing except our prides if Lucius ends up betraying us; if he is indeed sincere in his actions as I believe him to be, then we will have gained something far more valuable. Until Lucius proves to us that he cannot be trusted, judging him by his past actions make us no better than our enemies. Besides, you never thought you could get along with Severus but look at how friendly the two of you are now! Who knows? Perhaps the young Mr Malfoy and yourself could become the best of friends."

Five snorts were the answer to that unlikely idea. Still, Harry looked over at Snape and thought about how far they'd come along. While Snape hadn't joined the Magus Circle, Harry knew it really was only a matter of time. Snape really wasn't too bad once you got past the prejudices and the vicious tongue. However, although Snape and he had a history filled with animosity, they had always been on the same side. The same couldn't be said for either of the Malfoys. Nonetheless, Harry reluctantly agreed to initiate a truce of sorts with Draco Malfoy before heading to his room. After all, it would be easier to keep an eye on the Malfoys if he and the blonde Slytherin were close.

* * *

When Ron, Hermione and Ginny came by after breakfast the following morning to help prepare for the first DA meeting, Harry took them aside and dropped the news of Draco Malfoy's presence at Hogwarts. Before they could say anything disparaging about the Slytherin, Harry reluctantly asked them to be civil to him, to Ron's complete and utter shock.

"What do you mean we have to be nice to the ferret?"

Harry sighed. "The Malfoys have switched sides – Lucius offered to spy on Voldemort for the Order. Dumbledore wants me to befriend Malfoy and make him see the error of his ways, so to speak, so that even if Lucius ends up betraying us, Malfoy won't become a Death Eater."

"This is _insane!_ This is _Malfoy_ we're talking about! How can he expect you to become _friends_ with that great git after all he's done to us?"

"I'm not happy about this either Ron. But if I can prevent one more person from joining Voldemort's side, then… Look. You know I hate them. The two of them did their best to make my life absolutely miserable! But even scum like the Malfoys deserve a chance to get out of Voldemort's clutches. Besides, if becoming friends with the git means we get to spend the remaining two years at Hogwarts in peace, without fights, lost points and Hermione not being called a you-know-what, then I'm all for it."

At the mention of Hermione, Ron closed his mouth with an audible snap and silenced his protests. The Weasley-Malfoy feud could be put on hold if it meant Hermione wouldn't be called a Mudblood again.

Noticing that they were waiting for her reaction, Hermione nodded in agreement. "I could care less about what the twitchy little ferret calls me. But it would be nice to spend our last two years here in peace. Besides, if we can cost Voldemort his most talented follower, then all the better."

Ron set his jaw and nodded his agreement. "If Hermione can get past being called a you-know-what and you can put aside your differences with the ferret, then so can I. But I still hate the git so maybe we should limit our contact with each other. I'm not sure I can control myself from using the curses we'll learn on him."

When they looked at her, Ginny just shrugged her shoulders. "Malfoy hasn't done nearly as much to me as he has to you. If you can handle getting past that, then I'll do my best to keep the peace."

Harry smiled in relief and the four of them headed to the Room of Requirement to wait for the other members of the DA.

* * *

Harry looked around the room in shock. While he had known Hermione had received quite a number of responses, he hadn't thought the group would be quite so large. Besides all the DA members (except for Marietta), there were quite a few strangers around the room – Harry thought he could even spot some of the younger Slytherins clustered together!

"Hermione, did any of the letters you received say anything about inviting more people?"

Hermione, who had been wondering whether or not she had enough of the charmed parchment with her, finished counting heads and deemed the names to be a tight fit but still doable. "No, but then again, I didn't quite say they weren't allowed to either. I do wish they had told me in advance – it's a good thing I charmed a few more parchments or else we would have been in quite a pickle."

"Mate, you'd better start – they're getting a bit restless."

Nodding, Harry stepped forward and watched as the entire group fell silent. Harry felt unnerved – it had been difficult enough having everyone unabashedly stare at him when they had first arrived. Well, at least they were quiet now. Seeing the encouraging smiles from his friends helped ease his discomfort a bit.

"Welcome to the first meeting of the Defence Association – formerly known as Dumbledore's Army. There are parchments going around – please sign one of them. Since most of us here are underage and aren't allowed to use magic over the summer, we have to keep this a secret. Therefore, the parchments are jinxed so that if you tell anyone about our meetings, you'll find yourself in quite an embarrassing situation. Hermione and the Weasley twins worked together to form the jinx so I'd listen to the warning if I were you."

At that, faces paled and many were reluctant to sign the parchment. After all, if the Weasley twins were involved, it was likely dangerous to even just sign their name on the parchment. With Harry's assurance that they would only be jinxed if they betrayed the DA, all the parchments were soon filled with names and were handed back to Hermione.

"Now, the meetings will be held here three times a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It will always start at the same time as today so please try to be prompt. While the meetings are strictly voluntary, I won't teach the same material over and over again for people who have missed it.

"Everyone, please stand up and find yourself a partner. We're going to go over some of the basics…"

* * *

Remus sighed in exhaustion. He hadn't felt this tired and out of sorts since the last full moon. Pretending to be a Muggle reporter and trying to investigate the recent burglaries in the Muggle libraries and museums were much more difficult than he had thought it would be.

It didn't help that he hadn't really discovered anything. The Order wasn't even certain it had been the Death Eaters who were causing mayhem. There was no Dark Mark, no deaths, not even a Memory Charm on the Muggles who discovered the messes the perpetrators left behind. If it wasn't for the fact that they hadn't heard a peep about Voldemort in weeks and the eyewitnesses' accounts of historians who suddenly vanished into thin air, Remus would have thought he was on a wild goose chase. And what possible interest would Voldemort have in Muggle historians and literature anyway? After all, he hated all things Muggle.

Remus glanced down at his watch – it was almost five o'clock. He looked at the imposing white building in front of him and straightened his shoulders, trying to look professional. He'd call it a day after this interview and head back to his room at the nearby motel.

* * *

Draco, having slept in and unwilling to see Potter, decided to skip lunch in the Great Hall. He instead enjoyed a snack in the kitchens and was about to return to the dungeons when he ran into Potter. He had planned to just ignore him and continue on his way when Potter stopped him.

"Listen Malfoy. We're on the same side now and we have to put up with each other for the next few weeks or so without any of the other students around. So could we call a truce of sorts? After all, we're supposed to be friends so Voldemort thinks everything's going according to plan. And who knows? Maybe we'll actually become friends. Highly doubtful, but crazier things have been known to happen," Harry remarked lightly before holding his hand out for Malfoy to shake.

Harry hoped Malfoy would accept – after years of hatred between them, he knew the extended olive branch would not likely happen again if it was refused this time. They would pretend to get along for the sake of his cover and Dumbledore, but they would never really be anything other than enemies.

Harry wanted to believe that the younger Malfoy was more than what he had seen in the past five years. Harry wasn't expecting miracles – he didn't expect Malfoy to suddenly be a completely different person who actually cared about Muggle-borns. However, if they really were going to start anew, Malfoy would need to lose some of his Malfoyness. Harry could never be friends with someone who thought everyone and everything was beneath him.

As those thoughts were running through Harry's head, Draco was remembering the event that took place before their first year, when his hand had been rejected. He briefly thought about doing the same as payback, but as he looked into Potter's emerald green eyes and saw genuine sincerity, knowing what this handshake would mean, Draco couldn't help but grasp Potter's hand. Besides, the truce benefited him more than it did Potter.

When they shook hands, Draco was surprised (though he shouldn't have been considering the recent magical growth spurt Potter experienced) to feel surrounded by an unseen web of tightly-leashed power before it immediately cut off. Potter kept Draco's hand between both of his for a moment and looked into his eyes. Draco had the distinct impression that Potter was gazing directly into his soul. Before he could think further on what had just happened, Harry dragged him up the stairs. "Come on, Malfoy – I've heard there's nothing like playing sports for some male bonding." Still somewhat out of sorts, Draco didn't put up any resistance as Potter dragged him outside.

As they took their brooms to the sky and flew around the Quidditch pitch, occasionally talking about random things, Draco couldn't help but laugh out loud at the surrealism of it all. Still, for the first time in a while, he felt truly free and happy, and so he refused to question it and just let things be.

* * *

Since there wasn't much for Draco to do while at Hogwarts for the summer, he was invited to train with Harry, although they made sure the lessons were spent training and pushing Malfoy to his limits instead, lest they give away Harry's identity as a Magus. Harry had originally considered inviting Malfoy to the DA meetings, but felt that it might be inviting more trouble than it was worth. Still, Harry often duelled with Malfoy, though he had to be careful to make sure his Magus shields weren't in place. Fortunately for them, Draco wasn't at all surprised at seeing how good Harry was – he was known for his skills at Defence, after all. Draco was also aware that the DA had continued their meetings over the summer, though he didn't ask for an invitation – he had enough on his plate with lessons from Snape.

Training with Malfoy was limited to the mornings when Harry didn't have a DA meeting; after lunch until dinner, Harry and Malfoy went flying or simply spent some time together talking and playing games. While their conversations at first had been stilted and awkward, often interjected during periods of oppressive silence, hours spent in each other's presence slowly eased the uncomfortable atmosphere between the two. While not the best of friends, they got along with each other well enough and that was certainly more than what anyone had previously expected.

Draco continued to alternate between his usual arrogance and abiding by the truce, though the former was more often in jest than anything else – in private, anyway. In public, he acted as he always did – as he often told Harry, "Above all else, I'm still a Slytherin and a Malfoy, Potter."

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny often came to Hogwarts after dinner. While they and Draco did their best to avoid each other, since Harry often hung out with the blonde Slytherin, it was inevitable that they would meet. Surprising all of them, it was Ron who offered the olive branch to Draco first; he asked the blonde for a game of wizard chess seeing as how Harry refused to play with him anymore. After that, the Weasley-Malfoy feud was taken out on the game and the common interest between them allowed them to greet each other politely, if still a bit snidely.

Draco had Crabbe visit once, but it was completely unsatisfying to act like he had done in the past, and he was surprised to find he'd rather spend time in Potter's company. Besides, without Goyle, things just didn't feel the same. While Draco didn't exactly miss Goyle (who would actually miss a lumbering fool like Goyle?) he did hope the boy would attend Hogwarts for his sixth year. He made a great lackey and the dorms would certainly feel different without his presence. Sneering at Crabbe who was still stuffing his face, Draco left the kitchens and spent time with Potter by the lake instead.

Their school letters arrived (Dumbledore having finally found a satisfactory Potions Professor) and they selected their classes for sixth year. They all spent a day in Diagon Alley to buy the necessary books and supplies for their classes. Surprisingly, Malfoy did not protest to hanging around them, even in the eye of the public. Needless to say, they caused quite a scene as they made their way to Flourish and Blotts. Harry, since he promised Dumbledore he would not try to find out who the new Professor was, did not pry; he was assured though that the person didn't have a vendetta against him.

Members of the Circle as well as the Order came and went. The Order had still not been told about the existence of a Magus – Harry wasn't comfortable with them all knowing just yet. He had considered just telling a few but didn't think it fair. He was well aware he was in for it as soon as Mrs Weasley and Ginny found out.

* * *

"Mum?"

Molly snapped out of her thoughts. "Yes, Ginny?"

"Are you alright, mum?" Ginny's voice was quiet and held a note of worry. Her mum had been rather out of sorts, lately. Fred and George had even stopped causing trouble – the Order Headquarters had been prank-free for almost an entire week. Frankly, the whole thing made Ginny rather nervous.

"I'm fine, dear. Just thinking about what to make for dinner."

With that, Molly started to lightly hum as she began to prepare dinner. While she seemed to be back to her normal self and was acting busy, Ginny wasn't at all fooled. She was about to push the issue when she heard Ron bellowing her name. Knowing better than to allow Ron into the kitchen while their mum was making dinner, Ginny reluctantly left to see what her dear brother wanted. Honestly, she loved him but he really had the worst timing!

As soon as Ginny left the kitchen, Molly sighed in relief. Her daughter had inherited her fiery temper and stubbornness and the last thing she needed was Ginny prodding her. Molly got misty-eyed as she thought of her almost adult daughter. Where did the time go? It seemed like only yesterday that Ginny clung to her robes whenever Molly needed to leave the house. Molly smiled, remembering one particular incident – in the end she had had to take her stubborn five year old daughter with her to Diagon Alley. It had been a fun day, just the Weasley girls out on the town. They hadn't had many of those once Ginny began to get older.

Molly sighed. The war was tearing her family apart, and she could do nothing except watch it happen. Since his promotion, Arthur practically lived at the Ministry – the only time she saw him was at night when he carefully slipped in to bed, trying not to wake her and failing miserably. She almost wished Dumbledore hadn't landed him that promotion; she dearly missed her husband who was fascinated with all things Muggle.

Her two oldest sons, Bill and Charlie, hardly ever visited now that You-Know-Who had returned, making things busier for them than ever before. Charlie, who lived so far away, could not return to London as often as Molly wished he would. Besides, he was often away on Order missions. And while Bill lived in a flat near Gringotts, between the Order missions, his job and his girlfriend, he barely even had time to owl his dear old mum.

Fred and George… Maybe she expected too much from her twins sons. After all, they had a very successful business doing what they loved. Still, Molly thought the whole thing was utter nonsense – and they were going to go back to Hogwarts so that they could take their NEWTs even if it was the last thing she did. Even if they didn't want to work for the Ministry, it was always a good idea to have a back-up, just in case their joke shop didn't work out or they came to their senses.

And Percy… Her perfect son. Well, clearly, not so perfect anymore. It still hurt, thinking about it all. How he could do that to the family, to her, she still had no idea. She certainly did not raise any of her children to be that way. She had hoped that once it became clear he was in the wrong he'd come back and beg for forgiveness. They both would have cried and she would have engulfed him in a hug and things would have been alright again. Yet weeks had passed and not a word or hair from Percy! Last she'd heard, he was no longer together with that nice Ravenclaw girl, Penelope.

At least she had Ron and Ginny still. And they listened to her, bless their hearts. It would be so nice if Ron could finally ask Hermione to be his girlfriend and Ginny could settle down with Neville. His parents were wonderful people and she had no doubt that he would turn out to be just as talented a wizard as Frank was.

Shaking her head to dispel her thoughts, Molly returned to making dinner. It would do no good to dwell on things she could not change and the last thing anyone in her family needed was to be concerned about her. She just had to hope that everything would work out in the end.

* * *

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, Albus, I'm sure. Draco is a scanner. I felt it when we shook hands – he was feeling my power level. I immediately increased my shields to maximum and I've been keeping it like that ever since in his presence. I thought it was just a fluke at first, but it's been happening more and more often."

"A scanner? The Aurors would love someone like that… But so would You-Know-Who," said Tonks.

"He'll need to learn how to shield himself before the magic around him becomes too overwhelming. But I'm not sure how we're going to teach him without letting him know I'm a Magus."

"By teaching him Occlumency. He'll need to know it after all to make sure Voldemort doesn't find out about the Malfoy family's true loyalties. You've far surpassed my skills as an Occlumens and you are a natural Legilimens. So while you're teaching him that, teach him different shielding techniques as well. I'm sure Mr Malfoy will be much more comfortable with you, a Gryffindor, than Severus, who is a Slytherin."

"Er, right. I'm a Gryffindor and Gryffindors are noble; I wouldn't dare to use whatever information I may find against Malfoy, but Professor Snape is a slimy Slytherin and so would take advantage of the opportunity given." Harry smiled sweetly at a sneering Snape, making McGonagall hide a smile. Tonks disguised her laughter into a cough and Dumbledore's eyes just twinkled in amusement as he popped in another sherbet lemon into his mouth.

After a moment, Harry began to speak about something that had been bothering him for a few days.

"I think the presence of a Magus might be triggering something in other people's magic. I thought Draco and his sudden scanning ability was a mere coincidence, but I've found out some things about Ron, Hermione and Ginny as well. Ron is a beastspeaker, Hermione is a mindspeaker, and Ginny has the potential to be an animagus. When I first scanned them, there was nothing that I could see. But after spending time with me… None of their talents have been activated, so to speak. But it's close. After a few more lessons, I'm certain their powers will be revealed. I am somehow unknowingly affecting other people's magic."

"Maybe we should stick you with Trelawney – then perhaps she will finally be able to make an accurate prediction regarding your untimely demise," Severus said drolly.

"It's not funny! I might be tampering with these people, possibly causing something that wasn't ever meant to happen!"

Dumbledore interrupted the upset Magus. "Harry, my boy, you are powerful, more so than any wizard, but you are still human. You cannot grant a person power that didn't exist in them before, that is beyond their own limitations. You are merely helping people reach a potential they may not have been able to reach on their own, or just simply speeding up the process. But it is their potential you are working with."

Moody gruffly added, "Still, we need to discover a way to control this… affect you have on other people. It wouldn't do to have any Death Eater or even You-Know-Who benefit from this."

"No kidding!" Harry responded, feeling much better with the assurances from Dumbledore.

* * *

"Hermione, are you feeling alright?"

Hermione tried to smile. "It's nothing, Ron. Just a slight headache. I've been reading too much again I suppose."

Ron frowned. "You've been having a lot of those headaches lately. Maybe you should go to St. Mungo's."

"I don't need to go to St. Mungo's, Ron. Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll take a potion for it – if I'm still in pain, then I'll consider going to St. Mungo's, okay?"

Ron sighed but reluctantly nodded. "Come on – mum's almost done making lunch."

"I'm just going to take the potion first. I'll be right there."

Hermione relaxed slightly as Ron left. She had been so focused on trying to figure out what was happening to her that she hadn't even heard him enter her room. It was a good thing she had cast a spell days ago to hide the title of the book she had been reading – she knew Ron wouldn't approve of it. The tome was barely legal, but she thought she was experiencing some delayed side effects of an obscure Dark curse that she might have been hit with at the Department of Mysteries.

At first, she had merely wanted proof that she wasn't crazy, that there was a logical explanation for why she was hearing voices inside her head. Then she realized the voices sounded awfully familiar. After hearing a few rather embarrassing comments, she realized that she was hearing the thoughts of those around her.

She was about to tell someone when she heard Ron thinking about how pretty she looked in her sundress and how her smile was the prettiest thing he had ever seen. He had never paid her those compliments before, and she found herself rather liking the attention. Although she knew it was wrong, she convinced herself that she might as well find out what kind of a curse allows you to hear people's thoughts and come up with a counter-curse before telling anyone.

While there were quite a few Dark curses that allowed you to hear other people's most private thoughts, she didn't quite understand why Death Eaters would want her to have the ability to do so. And none of the spells listed headaches as their possible side effects.

Hermione closed the thick tome and hid it under her pillow before reaching for a potions vial. Downing the contents, she headed down to the kitchen. She promised herself that she would tell someone if the situation didn't improve soon.

* * *

"I've never seen Draco so intent, so focused. He will be a formidable wizard. In some ways, he already is. And, of course," Snape grimaced since it was expected of him, "Potter is doing brilliantly, even while restraining himself. If his anonymity continues into the school year, it will be interesting to watch him try to be 'only' Harry Potter." Snape smiled a small, rueful smile. Snape was reporting on the progress of his two students to the Headmaster when Lucius Malfoy dropped by.

"In a few days, it will have been three weeks since Draco came to Hogwarts seeking 'refuge'. The Dark Lord wants to check up on him that night to see if he has gained any useful knowledge. Draco will likely be tortured by the Death Eater who will be sent to meet him in the Forest unless he has anything useful to report. I am not certain who it will be, but it is possible that the Dark Lord will send a skilled Legilimens to ensure that Draco is not hiding anything."

"Relax, Lucius. Potter is teaching Draco Occlumency – the brat's actually quite skilled in the subject. He's also a good teacher apparently, which could explain Draco's progress. In any case, by the time Draco has to meet the Death Eater, he'll be skilled enough to fool anyone short of the Dark Lord himself."

Lucius relaxed minutely. "When you come up with the information Draco will be feeding the Death Eater, have him fire-call me with it. I have no doubts that the Dark Lord will summon me to verify the information – we'll need to make sure it corresponds." With that, Lucius gracefully entered the fireplace and left Dumbledore's office.

* * *

/ _Harry, come to the hospital wing immediately! Something's wrong with Ms Granger! _/

Hearing McGonagall's mindcall, Harry Apparated straight to the hospital wing, not caring about the fact that he was doing so in Draco's presence. Draco, who had been practicing Occlumency with Harry, was flummoxed seeing the empty space where Harry had stood in just seconds before. "Potter? Where did he go?"

* * *

"What's wrong with Hermione?" Harry frantically asked as soon as he arrived.

"We don't know. She's unconscious for the moment. Mr Weasley?"

Hearing Dumbledore call his name, Ron snapped out of his daze. Seeing Harry, Ron burst into an explanation, hoping his best friend could fix whatever was wrong with Hermione. "Harry! She just collapsed! I didn't know what to do – no one was with us at Headquarters! What if I took too long getting here? Should I have gone to St. Mungo's instead? What-"

"Ron! Slow down! Tell me what happened before she collapsed."

"Nothing! She had a terrible headache, but she took a potion for it and said she felt better. I wanted her to go to St. Mungo's since she's been having quite a few of those headaches lately, but she said she was fine. And she really seemed better so I didn't think much of it. Then when we were playing chess, her headache seemed to come back. She was clutching her head and moaning in pain so I left to fetch another potion for her. When I came back, she screamed before collapsing. I knew I should have insisted she go to St. Mungo's. It really is all my fault…"

Harry sighed in relief. "It's not your fault, Ron. I should have been keeping a closer eye, really. And someone should have told me that she'd been having headaches – I could have prevented this from happening days ago! Anyways, she'll be fine – she's just coming into her mindspeaking ability. She was probably overwhelmed with hearing all of the thoughts around her."

"So she's going to be okay?"

"Yeah, Ron, once she gets used to blocking out people's thoughts, she'll be back to her usual self."

Harry quickly shielded the bed Hermione was laying on, blocking out everything to make sure she got plenty of rest. He was about to Apparate back when a voice made him freeze in his tracks.

* * *

Hermione's NEWT-level classes:

**Ancient Runes  
****Arithmancy  
****Astronomy  
****Care of Magical Creatures  
****Charms  
****Defence Against the Dark Arts  
****Herbology  
****History of Magic  
****Potions  
****Transfiguration**

Ron's NEWT-level classes:

**Astronomy  
****Care of Magical Creatures  
****Charms  
****Defence Against the Dark Arts  
****Herbology  
Potions****  
****Transfiguration**

Harry's NEWT-level classes:

**Astronomy  
****Care of Magical Creatures  
****Charms  
****Defence Against the Dark Arts****  
****Herbology  
****Potions  
****Transfiguration**

Draco's NEWT-level classes:

**Ancient Runes  
****Arithmancy  
****Astronomy  
Care of Magical Creatures****  
****Charms  
****Defence Against the Dark Arts  
****Herbology  
****History of Magic  
****Potions  
****Transfiguration**

Neville's NEWT-level classes:

**Astronomy  
Care of Magical Creatures  
Charms  
Defence Against the Dark Arts  
Divination  
Herbology  
History of Magic****  
Potions  
**

**

* * *

**

A cliff-hanger! Sort of... Also, I know I said that Hermione would almost lose her mind over not being able to block out other people's thoughts, but I figured this would work better. I mean, Harry would have definitely noticed before that point. Still, I kind of wanted to do the whole Buffy thing (for those of you who have watched the show) where she gets the essence of a demon that allows her to read people's minds and Angel saves her... Hmm... Perhaps I might do that still, with Ron saving her...What do you think?

Oh, and the NEWT-level classes are obviously guesses of mine and my betas. I figured the students would normally take whatever courses they can to ensure their future plans (since it seems a job at the Ministry requires at least 5 NEWTs). Harry, however, is still training and he will continue to train throughout the school year. He won't have the time so I figured he'd drop Divination. I might have him drop Astronomy in the future - not sure yet. Review and tell me what you think!


	8. Secret? What Secret?

I'm so sorry for the delay! I had difficulty writing and then editing this chapter to my satisfaction… Huge thanks to my beta Earthwytch!

And thank you all so much for your reviews! I feel so loved… Please continue to review, even if you only say a few words - I appreciate each and every one of them!

**fifespice** – Thank you for your chapterly review! I'm glad you like Harry as a Magus – I too wish I had his abilities. How nice would that be? As for Neville… He doesn't have a specific power yet, and I'm not sure if I'm going to give him one. The only reason Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Draco have them is because they spend so much time with Harry. Neville's grandmother, while not as severe as before thanks to his heroics at the DoM, still doesn't allow Neville to do much. And since Harry will probably get his Magus influence under control before school starts, Neville won't likely be affected. But who knows? Maybe Neville has a power that'll develop on its own…

**Iset** – Glad you like it! As for the new Potions Professor… You'll just have to see – you'll meet him in chapter 10 (at least you know the teacher will be a man!).

**dihall **– Thank you! Lucius doesn't know that Harry is a Magus – he believes Harry's had a magical growth spurt. And he doesn't know where Harry's learned Occlumency from – he assumed Dumbledore taught him, which is true. And Snape is talking about Harry teaching Draco and was referring to the DA as evidence of Harry being a good teacher. I've put the definitions at the end of chapter 2, but here's what a scanner is: **Scanner** - one with the ability, usually on extended physical contact, to identify magic on an inanimate object or to 'scan' the powers of a spellcaster and evaluate the overall strength of that person's magic. In rare cases, scanning can be done without physical contact and can identify individual powers and abilities in the person being scanned, such as animagus ability. As for Ron having a familiar – that's an excellent idea! Maybe the familiar will make an excellent company for Crookshanks, who knows!

**the-dreamer4** – I can't believe you're reading my story! I am so happy and excited that it's very likely I need to be sedated… LOL. I'm glad you like this – I was afraid I would do your story injustice by adding my own spin to things. That was why I was reluctant and wanted your permission; then I read on your profile that you don't mind when people use the things in your story as long as they give you credit so I decided to give it a try. Thank you for the belated blessings and I'm so happy that I have your support! Thank you! And I'll definitely let you know if I need another beta – how great would that be to have you beta-reading this? I'm seriously so giddy right now…

**Draconius Harold Weasley** – I'm glad you're enjoying this! Do you still think the story is progressing too quickly? I didn't want to cover too much of Harry's training and the DA meetings since I was afraid it would get too repetitive. Anyway, more of his training and other 'action' will come once Hogwarts starts. The next few chapters will focus on the days before school starts, but by chapter 12 or so, I do want everyone to be at Hogwarts. And I am so flattered that you want me to write a slash version of your story! As long as time permits, I'd love to! But you should probably know I'll make it a Harry/Draco… That's my OTP for Harry Potter universe I'm afraid.

**Eryemil** – Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying this so far! And I totally understand – hell, if Harry Magus was real, I'd be all over him in a second too! I seriously have this thing with impossible loves – it's the whole passion between the characters, I think. I've recently gotten into Lex/Clark slash as well – my friends think I'm nuts. It's not my fault that there's just something about two guys who are fierce enemies that love each other… And Harry and Draco really do make a cute couple! Anyways, I'm glad to contribute to the gay boy cause! LOL!

**White Merlin** – Glad you like it!

**mscs3 – **I'm glad you're enjoying this!

**websurffer** - I'm glad you're enjoying this, and thank you for your offer, but I already have my two betas and a few more people who have already expressed interest. Thanks anyways and I'll let you know if I ever need another beta-reader!

**stormsfury** – I'm glad you like this! And yes, I am a firm believer that slash makes everything better! LOL

**hilarydilarydoc** – Glad you're enjoying reading this! And the development of Harry's powers (and the struggle to maintain them a secret) will be coming up once Hogwarts starts. And I originally switched mindspeaking ability from Ron to Hermione and made Ron a beastspeaker instead because I was going to get them to be apprentices of various professors. Ron was going to help teach Hagrid's class at one point. When I scrapped that idea, I decided to keep their abilities that way anyways because of issues of privacy. I can't imagine that Ron would refrain himself from reading other people's thoughts – particularly the Slytherins – unlike Hermione who would restrain herself (although she did succumb to temptation in the previous chapter). Besides, I think Ron would prefer beastspeaking ability since it's more fun and better, in a way – and it requires far less effort.

**Lynn-50670** – Thanks, and yes, the story is Harry/Draco. I have a particular fondness for that pairing… It's the whole "there's a thin line between love and hate" thing, I think.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Secret? What Secret? **

He was about to apparate back when a voice made him freeze in his tracks.

"So Potter, care to explain how exactly you Apparated to the hospital wing in a castle with heavy Anti-Apparition wards?"

Harry shot a frantic look at Dumbledore, but the old man merely smiled before ushering McGonagall and Ron out of the hospital wing.

/ _Albus! Help!_ /

/ _You'll be fine, Harry. I'll make sure Mr Weasley gets back to Headquarters safely. Oh, and do try to make it to dinner, won't you? _/

/ _You're an evil old man. I don't know how you convinced all of these hapless people that you're the epitome of good._ /

The only response Harry received was a full-bellied laugh.

"So? I'm waiting, Potter."

Harry raised his eyebrow at the demanding tone, looking eerily reminiscent of Malfoy himself. "And?"

Draco rolled his eyes. Honestly, dealing with Gryffindors was like trying to teach advanced Arithmancy to a toddler. "You Apparated in Hogwarts, Potter! I know the Anti-Apparition wards aren't down – I tried Apparating myself. Therefore, you have a way of getting around it, something I know to be impossible. At least, by a normal wizard's standard."

Harry froze and stared at Malfoy in disbelief. "How- ?"

"You are so easy, Potter. If I hadn't known the truth and was merely bluffing, your reaction just now would have given it away." Draco shook his head in mock sympathy. "Gryffindors!"

"What truth?" Harry attempted to look confused, though if the look Malfoy shot him was any indication, he failed miserably.

"I may be blonde but I'm far from stupid. Not only am I one of the top students in our year, but I'm also a Slytherin. Of course, I do have to admit it took me a while to figure things out. After all, there were only just odd little things, like how you almost seemed to communicate to Snape, Dumbledore and the others without actually saying a word, or your sudden grasp of grace and strength. And there were times when you were distracted, and you seemed like you were holding conversations with people in your head. I thought that you were simply crazy and hearing voices or something. Still, while strange, none of it really stood out. It wasn't until you disappeared right in front of me that I realized you were something more. You're a Magus."

Harry gaped. He tried to deny it, but he could see from the triumphant expression on Malfoy's face that it was too late. Had he really been that obvious? Of course, the sheer amount of time he spent with the blonde Slytherin might have something to do with it as well. Nonetheless… "How did you figure it out? I mean, it's still quite a leap."

"I'm a Malfoy, Potter. It's something you wouldn't understand…"

Seeing Potter's glare, Draco acquiesced. "Alright, alright. There was a book in the library which had been written by the Headmaster, called _Magi: Fact, Fable and Everything in Between_. It was just lying there at my usual table and I was bored, so I began to read it. Since it clearly had been abandoned," Draco ignored Harry's snort, "I took it with me and have been reading it ever since. It's quite informative, you know. Anyway, when you disappeared, I wasn't sure if you had Apparated or if I had been so out of it that I had imagined it. It wasn't until I saw you wandlessly conjuring a shield for Granger that all the things I had seen clicked with the information within the book. Honestly, I can't believe I almost doubted myself."

As Draco preened, Harry cast a modified version of the Magus Security Spell on him. While Harry wanted to trust Malfoy – and Dumbledore clearly did since Harry was sure he had been the one who had left out the book for Malfoy to read – Harry still wasn't absolutely certain of the blonde's loyalties or Lucius's yet. While the weeks they had spent in each other's company allowed Harry to see that there was more to Malfoy than the irritating git he had fought for five years, Harry still couldn't quite forget the years of ill-concealed hatred, or the various threats Malfoy had made against him mere weeks ago.

The Security Spell only prevented involuntary and coerced confessions – Harry needed more than that. The modified version of the Security Spell should not only prevent Malfoy from voluntarily telling anyone the newfound information, but the Memory Charm added within it should also ensure that the Magus related information would be erased when triggered.

"What did you just do to me, Potter?" Draco demanded, somehow knowing immediately that the odd sensation he felt was due to the Magus in front of him.

Harry inwardly cursed. He had forgotten that Malfoy would sense the magic of the spell due to his scanning ability. Harry quickly changed the topic. "You realize you can't tell anyone." Harry hoped the answer would be favourable – he really didn't want to test out the effectiveness of the Memory Charm.

"I'm not an idiot, Potter. The Dark Lord won't stand a chance against you once you've fully grown into your powers. I would be crazy to try and betray you when you've pretty much won. Besides, it isn't only you and the other Gryffindors' lives that lay in the balance, you know. My father's risking his and my mother's lives so you can win. Now, what the hell did you do"

Harry continued to hedge. "That includes your father. You can't tell him."

"I know! What do you think I am, a _Hufflepuff?_ The more my father knows, the more likely something might tip the Dark Lord off. If he suspects, then my father is as good as dead. Believe me, I am fully aware of the consequences. Now, stop insulting my intelligence. What the fuck did you do to me?"

Harry looked everywhere but at the Slytherin. "I cast a modified Magus Security Spell on you to stop you from telling anyone about me being a Magus."

Harry could feel the icy stare. "There's more, isn't there? Otherwise, you would have simply told me when I asked the first time."

Harry closed his eyes, hoping it would hurt less if he couldn't see the impact of his words. "The modified spell contains a Memory Charm to Obliviate you. Should you tell, the charm will make sure that you can't."

Draco was furious and hurt, and his tone reflected that even though he did his best to disguise it. "You may be a Magus but you're not an Obliviator. It's an exact art – if you're even slightly off, it could have disastrous consequences for me. Do you trust me so little?"

When Harry didn't answer, Draco simply nodded his head and walked away.

* * *

Harry tried to apologize to Malfoy over the next few days, but was brushed off each time. He felt bad enough that he had wanted to remove the modified Security Spell; Malfoy, however, wouldn't let him. "Potter, you don't trust me; that much is clear. Until you do, you shouldn't remove it. I won't have you doubt where my loyalties lie, not when there is so much at stake."

The Occlumency lessons, which had already been difficult enough, became even more so. The icy demeanour and the stilted conversations from Malfoy were almost impossible to deal with after the amicable truce. It got so bad that Harry asked Snape to take over the lessons.

Harry wasn't sure why it mattered so much. It wasn't as if he considered Malfoy to be his _friend_… Convinced that his attachment to Malfoy was only because Malfoy had often been his only companion for hours on end, Harry went out of his way to hang out with his best friends. Things got a bit difficult when they had work to do at the Order Headquarters and Harry refused to step a foot inside, but he managed.

Harry worked with Hermione to better build up her shield; he introduced various creatures to Ron, trying to find out what kind of beastspeaking talent the redhead had; and he spent hours teaching Ginny how to be an animagus. Amongst all that, he still had the DA meetings where he pushed the members more than ever and often ran past the allotted time he had set. He helped them out with their homework or whatever troubles they had with Defence Against the Dark Arts. He even gave flying lessons to those who wanted to try out for their House teams.

All in all, Harry was so busy that he had successfully convinced himself that Malfoy – and his friendship – wasn't important to him at all.

* * *

If any of the others had noticed something amiss between Harry and Draco, no one said a word. There really wasn't anything particularly wrong, after all – they weren't hostile to each other. They were just not hanging out as much as they used to. Most attributed it to them never having had much in common in the first place. Their 'friendship' had come as far as it could and there just was no point in hanging out so much anymore.

Ron was just glad they no longer had to be nice to the ferret. While he did miss the challenge the Slytherin provided on the chess board, he preferred to not associate at all with Malfoy. Ginny was too busy helping out at the twins' store (so she could meet Neville since his grandmother allowed him to drop by sometimes) to notice the changes in Harry's behaviour in regards to the Slytherin. And while Hermione had noticed that something was the matter, she was too busy working with Harry on her shield to find out what the problem was. That and she was still trying so hard to get Ron to forgive her. When Harry had mentioned she should have been hearing the thoughts of those around her for quite awhile if her headaches were any indication, the redhead had figured out that the reason she had refused to seek help had been because she had wanted to hear their thoughts. Afterwards, he had refused to even look in her direction. The situation between the two of them had been really awkward since.

Others, like Snape and Dumbledore, saw it all, but they too kept quiet. The latter, who had nudged things in the right direction with the placement of his book, found his plans slightly delayed. Still, he was confident things would work out the way they were meant to. The former was more willing to act – it was his time that was being consumed by being forced to teach Occlumency to Draco after all. He had tried to get the boy to talk, but Draco was not a Malfoy and a Slytherin for nothing; none of his usual techniques worked on the younger wizard. Draco acted like nothing was wrong; he was always polite, didn't get angry and it was infuriating the hell out of Snape.

It wasn't until the day of Draco's report to the Death Eater that things between him and Harry were finally resolved.

* * *

"Draco, you will be fine tonight. Even I had difficulty breaking through your barriers. Short of the Dark Lord himself, there shouldn't be any problems."

Draco nodded his head and continued to listen as Snape gave him advice on how to behave himself as to not incur suspicion.

Dumbledore, seeing the perfect opportunity, interrupted. "Harry, why don't you and Professor Snape follow Mr Malfoy? One can never have too much protection."

Snape immediately agreed. "It's a good idea. We'll be there to help in case something does go wrong, and I may be able to identify the Death Eater who comes to take the report. If Draco's cover fails, then we might be able to use the Death Eater to find out what the Dark Lord is up to with all the raids that have been happening in the Muggle world recently since neither Lupin nor Lucius seem to have uncovered anything useful."

* * *

Remus had surprisingly been having a good time interviewing the director of a Muggle museum when he heard a loud _crack_. Mindcalling Dumbledore to summon the Order, Remus quickly stunned the director and quietly left the office, sticking to the shadows and being careful to remain out of sight. He didn't have to walk far before he spotted Bellatrix among few other Death Eaters demolishing the place. Despite his desire to curse the living daylights out of Bellatrix, Remus was outnumbered. He held back and merely tightened the hold on his wand and waited for the Order members to arrive.

"The book's not here, Bellatrix." The Death Eater who spoke trembled in fear.

"It has to be here, you imbecile! You're just not looking hard enough. Have you ever known our Lord to be wrong?"

"No, nev- "

Bellatrix cut him off. "_Crucio!_"

Cringing at hearing her maniacal laughter, Remus quickly returned to the office. Before the interview, he had seen the man place few texts in the office's safe. Putting a Silencing Charm around the room, Remus blasted the safe's door and shrunk all the books he found inside. Letting Dumbledore know what he'd found, Remus hid the books in his robe and Apparated away at Dumbledore's signal.

* * *

Harry entered the Room of Requirement and the sight that greeted him calmed him down immediately. He left his confusion and frustrations regarding Malfoy at the door and gingerly headed towards the lone piano standing in the corner. It had been years since he had used music as a solace, never mind having played the piano, but it was much safer than heading out to the Quidditch pitch where the others would easily be able to find him. He needed to be alone to sort out his jumbled thoughts.

Harry lightly ran the tip of his index finger over the gleaming surface of the instrument. Music had been the only subject Harry had enjoyed immensely while at school – the teacher had been new and not yet brainwashed by the Dursleys to hate and distrust him. Harry had originally played the violin, since he was so small for his age and the violin had been one of the smallest and lightest instruments that were available at the school. However, when Dudley saw how much Harry enjoyed playing the violin, he'd shattered it into pieces and told everyone that Harry did it on purpose because he couldn't get anything right.

Fortunately for Harry, his teacher had seen through it all and instead took him under her wing. She taught him to play the piano, which had been much too big for even Dudley to break, and had allowed him to spend his lunch hours and any detentions he had received thanks to Dudley and his gang in the music room, where he could escape to a whole other world. Perhaps that was the reason why he had taken to the piano immediately.

When the Dursleys eventually found out about his extra lessons from the other teachers, they put an immediate stop to it, insisting that he was doing something 'freakish' to gain his talent. They forbade him from spending any time in the music room and had demanded his presence home immediately after school and even had Dudley watch him during lunch to make sure he didn't disobey them. Still, Harry managed to sneak away whenever he could. Harry remembered the moment when the music teacher had introduced him to Beethoven's Sonata No. 14. There had been no words – he had simply loved it. There had been something about its haunting and quiet melody that he had found utterly soothing.

Once the school year had ended, the Dursleys had locked him up in his cupboard under the stairs for an entire week as punishment. When Harry had returned to school in the fall, another music teacher had taken her place. He, of course, had listened to the Dursleys' warnings and didn't allow Harry to touch any instruments – he had barely allowed Harry to enter the music room. Harry couldn't play anything after that, and soon gave up trying.

Harry was so absorbed in his memories that he hadn't even realized he was sitting down on the bench until his fingers played a chord on the black and white keys. Harry simply sat there for a long moment, enjoying the feeling he had always gotten when he had sat on the bench, his fingers itching to bring the music to life. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before letting his fingers fly over the long forgotten notes. He needed the comfort the "Moonlight Sonata" would give him.

Harry was so absorbed in playing that he didn't notice when Draco entered the room, having heard the familiar melody while wandering around the halls. He too had been thinking when he had heard the unmistakable tune of the first movement of the "Moonlight Sonata".

Draco stood in complete silence, his eyes rooted to the spot where his former nemesis sat, playing the one piece that frustrated Draco like none other – not because Draco disliked it, but because he could never play the Sonata the way it was meant to be played.

Draco had taken piano lessons ever since he was old enough to sit still; his parents had insisted at first but as time went on, he found he actually enjoyed playing the instrument. He had mastered every technique there was to be taught; however, he had never been able to release his emotions enough to truly play and that had frustrated his teacher beyond imagining. Draco could play every note of a concerto perfectly and yet it never sounded as good as it was supposed to. It was the way of the Malfoy, unfortunately – his first tutor had been utterly baffled and frustrated by it. After he quit, Draco had been taught by the same teacher who had taught his father – he never tried to get Draco to 'open up'. Still, Draco knew he was missing something and it eventually became so frustrating that he had stopped playing the piano, having given up his passion rather than try to be something he could not and would not allow himself to be.

Draco, who had never known that Potter could play the piano, never mind play it well, found himself getting angry as the haunting melody of the "Moonlight Sonata" drifted over to him. Even in this, Potter far surpassed him. He, Draco Malfoy, who had spent thousands of galleons on private piano lessons by two of the best teachers in the world, was outdone by Potter, the orphan who lived with Muggles.

Draco couldn't stay still anymore. Everything he had been repressing for days burst forth. "You think you're just so perfect, don't you Potter?"

Harry, startled out of his own little world, struck a dissonant chord. Cringing, Harry took his hands off the keys and stood to face Malfoy. "What are you talking about, Malfoy?"

Draco couldn't take his eyes off the gleaming black piano in front of him – he could still hear the poignant melody in his head. "You just think you're so much better than everyone else in the world, so much more special, just because you managed to survive the Killing Curse when you were a toddler. Getting a bit big in the head, are we? Believing your own press? Just because you're the "Boy Who Lived" and is the Seventh Magus does not give you the right to pass judgements on people. It certainly doesn't give you the right to cast a dangerous spell on me! You are nothing but a reckless idiot who just gets lucky. And yet, no matter what you do, you can do no wrong. I've betrayed the Dark Lord, turned my back on everything I've been raised to believe and what do I get? A spell that could have disastrous consequences! And _you_ were the one who offered me a fresh start! I should have known better than to believe your word and let my guard down around you, Potter."

"What are you on, Malfoy? I never said I was better than anyone! All I've ever done was tell the truth and try to do the right thing. It's you who always acts so high and mighty, just 'cos you're a Malfoy! You think you've got the right to complain because you've switched sides? Well, think again! I lived in a cupboard under the stairs and was starved and belittled for ten years! And the first time I got away from that, I had to fight Voldemort! And I have every year since while people close to me have died and been hurt! So don't you dare tell me that I've suffered less than you have, Malfoy. You wouldn't know pain and suffering even if it bit you in the arse. You have no idea what it's like to be me! _None!_ So don't you dare stand there and act all superior and whine about having a Security Spell cast on you."

Harry closed his eyes and tried to get a hold of his anger. The air was thick with tension and suppressed emotion – Harry was sure not even a knife could cut through it all. The tense silence was broken by Malfoy's cool tone.

"I'm glad I don't know what true pain and suffering is like. I'm glad I don't have to face the end of the Dark Lord's wand and suffer at his hand. I'm glad I've never been put under the Cruciatus Curse. I'm glad that I have a loving family who puts me above everything else. And I am not going to apologize for that! So you've had a hard life. Big fucking deal! Everyone has problems, Potter. Just because they don't make everyone else miserable right along with them doesn't mean their problems don't exist.

"You initiated the truce. I've done my best to abide by it. You're the one who broke it by putting a fucking _Memory Charm_ on me. You put me in danger without my consent because apparently, _you_ don't trust _me_ even when Dumbledore himself does! What does that tell you? And you think I act too self-important? Just how blind are you without your glasses, Potter?"

Harry bit back the familiar need to curse the living daylights out of Malfoy and tried to calm down. It would do no good to continue to trade insults. Besides, Malfoy was right – he had been the one to break the truce, even when he'd known that Dumbledore trusted Malfoy.

"Malfoy… I meant what I said when I asked for a truce. But we've been at each other's throats for _five_ _years_. That's not just going to go away just because we wish it." Harry swallowed harshly and forced himself to say the words. "I'm sorry for not giving you the benefit of the doubt. It's just that even with the truce, it's hard to forget sometimes that you're not my enemy. Believe it or not, I do trust you, and despite everything I've tried to do the last few days, I missed your irritating presence. That's something I wasn't expecting at all. And while I'm not crazy about certain things you do or say, I really do want to be your friend. If nothing else, I hope you believe that, and maybe someday, you'll give this truce thing another chance."

Draco didn't know what to do. He knew Potter was being sincere, but Potter had hurt him and Draco didn't take betrayals and unfavourable actions towards himself well. Still, there was just something about Potter that Draco couldn't shake. Before he could think on it, Draco's hand shot out and grabbed Potter's arm as the boy headed towards the door.

"Wait. Did you mean it? About wanting to be my friend?"

If Harry didn't know any better, he'd say that Malfoy's voice held a note of desperation. "Er, yeah, I did."

Turning Potter around to face him, Draco said what-the-hell to it all and held out his hand. "Draco Malfoy. My friends call me Draco."

Harry grinned in relief and something else Draco couldn't identify as he grasped the hand firmly with his. "Harry Potter. Nice to meet you."

As they both headed towards the exit, Draco said, "Now can you remove that damn spell?"

Harry laughed before taking off down the hall. "Only if you catch me first!"

"Potter! Get back here!"

* * *

"Looking for something, Lucius?"

Wormtail's tone sounded gleeful and insolent. It was a tone he never took on when speaking to Lucius, and it surprised Lucius at hearing it. He sneered at Wormtail and hid his shock when the spineless rat didn't immediately cringe away.

"Finally grew a backbone, I see."

Lucius's icy tone froze Wormtail for a moment but he shook it off. "You're not above me anymore, Lucius. So if I were you, I'd be careful in how I address certain people."

Wormtail delighted in seeing the surprise flicker in Lucius's eyes. "Oh, yes. Didn't you know? You're no longer amongst our Lord's favourites. It seems he doesn't trust you anymore… So watch yourself, Lucius. I might not take your insults so well next time."

With that parting shot, Wormtail left, smiling all the way at Lucius's fall from grace.

* * *

Here are the explanations for few of the terms again (they're from the-dreamer4's homepage): 

**Beastspeaker** - one who can communicate with animals using mindspeech. The language is sometimes described using the pattern 'owl-speak' or 'bird-speak', for example. Exercising this gift is different from parseltongue in that other humans hear human speech from a beastspeaker, but hear a hissing language from a parselmouth.

**Mentor** - a wizard or a witch chosen to assist a Magus between his awakening and his coming to full potential and control.

**Mentor Bond** - a mental bond between a Magus and his Mentor. Depending on the level of power of both and the existing level of trust and affection between them, it can simply involve long-range mindspeech to extensive full telepathic and empathic link. The bond also helps 'ground' the Wild Magic of a fledgling Magus, helping the Magus to safely focus his power.

**Mindspeaker/Mindspeech** - mindspeech is not full telepathy. It is the sending and receiving of a direct thought, thinking in words at someone or something in the case of a beastspeaker. The second party may or may not be a mindspeaker themselves. Mindspeakers can establish links with others (mindspeaker to non-mindspeaker) and among a group of people (between non-mindspeakers).

**Scanner** - one with the ability, usually on extended physical contact, to identify magic on an inanimate object or to 'scan' the powers of a spellcaster and evaluate the overall strength of that person's magic. In rare cases, scanning can be done without physical contact and can identify individual powers and abilities in the person being scanned, such as animagus ability.

**Shapeshifter** - ability to change into other human and humanoid forms (such as giants, trolls, goblins, etc.), or just changing parts of the body.


	9. Confrontations

I know that some of you had a few issues with the last chapter; I did too. It took me a while to write and edit it because I wasn't satisfied with how it turned out. I'm still not quite happy with it. Nonetheless, I won't be making any adjustments – at least, not right now. Once I'm finished with the story, I'll go back and work on it then.

**Draconius Harold Weasley** – I'm glad to hear that you like the pace of the story now. Hopefully, it will continue to be so in the future chapters.

**candlewyk – **I'm glad you like the way the story is unfolding! Hopefully, you'll like this chapter even more – I certainly did!

**Argo** – I'm happy to hear that you like it! As for Dumbledore's manipulation of Harry being similar to Snape 'outing' Remus as a werewolf… I hadn't actually even considered that when I wrote the chapter! Good eye! What I was hoping to do – and clearly I didn't do it well – was show that Harry trusted Dumbledore – including his judgement. Harry knows the Headmaster isn't perfect – he is only human after all – but he knows Dumbledore tries his best. He has Harry's best interests at heart. While Dumbledore made the decision to place the book and nudge Draco in the right direction, he hasn't exactly outright told anyone, nor did he actively interfere. He let things run their course with Harry and Draco, one of the reasons why Harry isn't upset with the Headmaster. Dumbledore merely speeded up the process. And Dumbledore's purpose was to remove the last barrier from Harry and Draco's path to friendship. Since the results were favourable (ultimately, anyways), Harry isn't angry. Hopefully, that explanation was helpful.

As for Harry not feeling Draco's presence – Harry has his shields up all the time. They're rarely ever down. Thus, he doesn't really 'feel' Draco's presence unless he's actively concentrating. And while Harry has learned his lesson on thinking before acting, he's still a Gryffindor and so he acts first, consequences be damned – especially since the consequences aren't really dire (for the moment). I mentioned this before, but this is an issue that will pop up in later chapters, when school starts – Harry struggles to maintain his powers a secret.

**dihall** – Thanks! As for Harry and Draco's reaction to Draco's discovery… See, Harry wasn't sure if he could trust Draco and so he decided to 'act first, think later'. He wasn't even going to tell Draco, but since the Slytherin kept pushing, Harry spilled the beans. Draco wasn't expecting that sort of thing since it's quite underhanded and he thought there was really nothing to worry about – Harry did initiate the truce after all. I actually liked that part – it was the later scene with Harry and Draco in the Room of Requirement that I had a problem with. And as for Ron snubbing Hermione – I'm not too sure what you found so jarring. Ron does have a temper and he is also not exactly understanding (in my opinion anyways). Obviously, they'll make up, but for now, Ron feels betrayed by Hermione (it's explored more in this chapter). I'll work on making smoother transitions – would that help at all?

**Willow** – Thank you! I'm glad you like it! This chapter focuses on other characters, but it does have a scene with Harry and Draco that I particularly like. Hope you like it as well!

**cool** – Thanks!

This is definitely one of my favourite chapters… Please review and let me know what you think! And Earthwytch and Abbey – you both rock!

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Confrontations **

"Ron, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Ron stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around to face Hermione. He still wasn't comfortable in her presence – he didn't know what Hermione had heard, and he was mortified and angry that she'd done such a thing as listen to his private thoughts. Besides, now that she could control it, she could be hearing them at the moment for all he knew. Ron resolved to speak to Harry about protecting his mind as soon as possible.

"Ron, please, I'm sorry! I don't know what else you want me to say!"

Ron's legendary temper exploded. "Hermione, stop thinking about yourself for a second! The world doesn't revolve around you! You don't know how to make this better? Well neither do I! You _invaded_ my privacy! You knew what was happening and yet you didn't do anything about it! How am I supposed to trust you now? For all I know, you could be hearing my thoughts right now!"

"Ron, I'm really sorry about that. But I promise you, I'm not listening to your thoughts anymore. And I couldn't anyway – as my mindspeaking ability develops, it becomes more sensitive. If I didn't have my shield up all the time, I'd probably lose my mind." Hermione didn't mention that with practice, she'd be able to focus enough to pick up unguarded thoughts easily without being overwhelmed. She didn't think telling Ron that would improve the situation.

"You don't get it, do you? It's not about whether or not you can hear my thoughts. It's about trust; or rather, the lack of it. As in I don't trust you anymore."

With that, Ron walked away from Hermione, turning a deaf ear to her sobs.

* * *

Draco sat by the fireplace in the Slytherin common room, trying to take his mind off of the upcoming meeting with a Death Eater. He almost regretted not taking Harry up on his offer for a quick game of one-on-one Quidditch. Still, while the distraction would have been nice, hanging around the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Magus was doing something to him. It was the strangest thing; it was almost as if Draco had this need to please Potter, which was absolutely ridiculous, seeing as how Draco didn't do things to please anyone except for himself – with the exception of his parents, of course. But there was no other explanation for how easily Draco had given into Potter and accepted his apology. Draco knew that had it been anyone else, they would have been cursed from here to London for daring to cast a Memory Charm on him. And it wasn't because Potter was a Magus either.

Knowing he had to leave soon, Draco headed towards his room and forced the issue out of his mind. He couldn't afford to think about it all now. He had to do well tonight – his life as well as his parents' lives depended on it.

* * *

"I'm not a hundred percent sure if these books are what they were after, but I thought it likely seeing as how they were the only ones in the museum that the Death Eaters hadn't had a chance to look at. I don't know why Voldemort would be after these though." Remus looked around the room at Headquarters, glad no one got hurt, even if the Death Eaters – particularly Bellatrix Lestrange – had escaped.

"So You-Know-Who is after a _Muggle_ book?" Arabella asked, disbelief marring her tone.

Dumbledore nodded. "It seems to be, since he sent Bellatrix to retrieve it. Narcissa Malfoy has informed me that Voldemort no longer trusts Lucius as much as he used to – Lucius is not under suspicion, but since he has no idea of Voldemort's plans, we can assume he's no longer in the Inner Circle. We need a plan to get Lucius back into Voldemort's good graces. The only plan I can think of at the moment is through the younger Malfoy. If he does well, then it is entirely possible that Lucius will be rewarded in some way. Any information about what it is exactly that Voldemort is after will be invaluable at the moment."

"His lessons have come along well then?"

"Very much so, Molly. He'll do well tonight."

* * *

After a muted dinner, Harry and Snape Apparated into the Forest and transformed into their animagus forms (Harry chose a wolf form). Harry told the wolf pack he was expecting company and carefully waited for Draco and the Death Eater to show.

Harry knew who was coming even before his wolf senses picked up the foreign smell.

/_ It's Voldemort._ /

/ _Is your scar hurting?_ / Dumbledore asked, worried about Harry's welfare and possible discovery.

/ _Not anymore. It appears that my shields at their maximum strength are blocking the pain. The better question is, what is Voldemort doing here? _/

/_ Severus, you said the young Mr Malfoy's Occlumency shields were good. Good enough to withstand Voldemort's attack? _/

/_ I'm not certain. Draco isn't expecting the Dark Lord to meet him. If he's surprised… _/

/_ We're here. I can Apparate Draco away before Voldemort can harm him. Warn the Malfoys just in case. _/

/ _I'll do so immediately. Be careful, both of you. _/

As the two animagi watched, a faint light became visible. Voldemort soon appeared, his dark cloak hiding his face from view. Still, there was no mistaking the pale skeletal hand with unnaturally long fingers that held a wand. He was heading towards Hogwarts and a lantern was floating in front of him to light the path.

Then the wolf and the leopard heard Draco approach.

* * *

Voldemort had planned to send Bellatrix to meet with the Malfoy heir, but due to her failure at recovering the text, she had been tortured along with the other Death Eaters and none of them had been in fit shape to meet with Draco. Voldemort smiled, remembering their cries of pain.

At least this way, he could see if Draco really could be of any use. Perhaps he should release his Death Eaters from Azkaban… Voldemort had intended their imprisonment as a punishment and a test, since injury to their prides were a much better lesson than torture could ever be. Unfortunately, no one besides Lucius was able to escape – obviously, that was one of the reasons why Lucius was one of the most talented of all of his Death Eaters. If only he could trust Lucius as he trusted his Bella…

While he needed to focus all of his attentions on recovering the lost tome, the extra hands would certainly be useful. Besides, he could only stand so much of the Dementors' complaints about lack of souls to eat.

Voldemort smiled chillingly. There was a delicious sense of satisfaction to be so close to the stronghold of his enemies. He could be here in the Forest and Dumbledore's wards couldn't sense his presence. Soon, he would be strong enough to take on Hogwarts and all its occupants. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

"You're right on time. I do so appreciate punctuality," said the Death Eater.

Something about the man sent shivers down Draco's spine. He resisted the urge to look around and see if he could spot Potter and Snape.

"Nothing to say? Hmm… Very well, let's get on with it then. What information have you gathered?"

Draco breathed in deeply before speaking – he refused to show any weakness. "Potter is training with Dumbledore's Order. From what I've seen so far, it's going well. He has gone through a magical growth spurt that has increased his power dramatically. I'm not certain of the full extent of his powers yet as he himself is still learning, but it's certainly no match for Dumbledore," Draco said coldly, with all the dignity in his Malfoy blood. "I've seen several members of the Order around Hogwarts, particularly Weasley Sr. and the Aurors. They meet in the Headmaster's office, but from what Potter has told me, it seems as though they are confused about our Lord's plans."

"You are friends with Potter, then?"

"He has fallen for my cover story. His friends were more difficult to overcome, but they too have ceased to be hostile at Potter's insistence." Draco felt more tightly wound than a spring. It didn't help that the Death Eater kept moving in circles around Draco.

"Have there been any other visitors? Have you asked questions around the castle? To the ghosts and portraits?"

"Potter's friends come by for a couple of visits a week, but I doubt they do anything more than talk and perhaps play some wizard chess. And I _did_ ask questions, to the ghosts, portraits, Peeves the poltergeist, and even," Draco paused to show his disgust, "some house-elves. No one would or _could_ say anything. I believe they're under some kind of a Security Spell. Many are still suspicious of me; I need more time to gain their trust before I am able to find more information." Draco did his best to be convincing to the Death Eater.

After a beat, the Death Eater spoke. "Very well. We will meet again once school has started. Your father will inform you of the date and time."

With a silent sigh of relief, Draco turned around to return to the castle, glad that it was all over. He was startled when a pale hand tightly clutched his shoulder and forced him to turn around. Before he could do anything, the hand grasped his chin and raised it up, forcing Draco to meet the eyes of the Death Eater. Draco was startled to feel immense power surround him – except this time, the power reeked of evil, of darkness. Draco felt the earlier chill creeping down his spine and he couldn't stop himself from shivering slightly. Feeling sick to his stomach, he struggled, but the hold merely tightened. When he opened his eyes, he found himself looking straight into scarlet orbs and was unable to break the gaze. Finally realizing who held him, Draco tried to maintain his defences, but the power overloaded his senses and he felt his Occlumency shields shatter. Draco suddenly heard a loud growl and felt himself falling before he blacked out from the pain of it all.

* * *

The first thing Draco noticed when he came to was the soft lighting that didn't hurt his eyes. It took him a moment to realize he was in the hospital wing – Potter must have fixed the lighting somehow.

Draco groaned in pain as he tried to raise himself up – his head was throbbing. Before he could blink, a potion was being poured down his throat and he was being checked over by Madam Pomfrey.

"You'll be fine, Mr Malfoy. But you'll be staying here for the night. As for you, Potter – I want you out of the hospital wing in ten minutes! I have work to do and Mr Malfoy needs his rest." With that, Poppy Pomfrey headed towards her office to get everything ready for September first.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I was repeatedly hit in the head with a Bludger, Potter. What happened?"

"Voldemort came to meet you instead of sending a Death Eater. It went fine until he grabbed you. See, you're a scanner, and his touch overloaded your senses and your shields crumbled. But don't worry – Voldemort didn't find out anything. I kind of jumped on him and surprised him enough that he dropped you. You hit your head pretty hard on a rock though. Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey arrived earlier tonight and fixed you right up."

"You're sure he didn't find out anything?"

"Positive. He didn't get a chance to. And we'll make sure you can shield your scanner abilities for next time."

"And he didn't suspect anything?" Draco's tone was a mixture of incredulity and relief.

"Relax. Your father has already spoken with Voldemort. Apparently, he thinks that I thought you were being captured and came to your rescue. Your cover is intact – in fact, Voldemort was so happy that you were able to gain my trust enough that I'd risk my life to save yours, that he's sending your father on a special mission that might help us figure out what he's up to.

"In any case, since the teachers are arriving to prepare for the school year, our lessons with Snape will have to be cancelled. And you'll be resuming your Occlumency and shielding lessons with me. Hope that's okay."

At Draco's nod, Harry stared at the wall before quietly asking, "Was it your first time seeing him?"

Draco didn't bother pretending he didn't know who Harry was talking about. "No. But this is the first time I really saw him. I was never allowed into the Death Eater meetings and so I only really saw glimpses of him and he always wore a cloak that masked his face. I can see why, seeing how disgusting he looks. He's barely even human!"

"Tell me about it. I wonder if he's ever tried to return to how he'd looked when he was younger."

"Probably. Can you imagine seeing that face every time you looked into a mirror?"

Harry pretended to shudder and laughed with Draco. It was nice talking to someone else who had faced Voldemort, even if they weren't really talking about it at all.

* * *

Dumbledore was surprised to see Minerva and Severus being barraged with questions from the rest of the staff when he entered the staff room for their annual meeting. He had expected them to be curious but he had never thought Minerva and Severus were the type to partake in gossip. Of course, if the Potions Master's dour expressions were any indication, he didn't delight in it as Minerva did.

"- you should have seen it, Filius! His physical changes are nothing compared to the magical ones. I cannot wait to see the full extent of his powers. He's been talking to Albus about restarting the Duelling Club this year -" Minerva pointedly stared at Rolanda and Poppy who groaned, remembering the disaster four years prior. "Considering how well the DA went last year, I am sure Potter will be able to a much better job than Lockhart."

"That's not much of a compliment, Minerva," Rolanda Hooch chortled.

"_Hem, hem_," said Dumbledore, and he laughed seeing several staff members jump in panic at his remarkably accurate imitation of Dolores Umbridge.

"Albus!"

Smiling at Minerva's scolding, Dumbledore took his seat at the head of the table. "Sherbet lemons, anyone?"

Popping one into his mouth once everyone declined – as usual – he nodded to them all in greeting.

"I see Minerva was doing an excellent job of filling you all in." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled madly as Minerva blushed, embarrassed at having been caught gossiping, a manner most unbecoming of a Deputy Headmistress – in her opinion, anyways.

"Now, since you have the next few days to get your fill of Harry's new state, shall we get started? Filius, do you have your curriculum…"

* * *

Narcissa daintily sat in the tea room, the one that overlooked the south gardens, chattering with her many 'friends'. Narcissa basked at all the attention given to her, glad the attention on her was favourable, if envious, rather than one of scorn and pity that she had experienced mere weeks ago.

She was about to assure her guests that she still intended to plan the Halloween Party as was her position for so many years when the alarm bells began to ring. The alarm was immediately silenced and Narcissa had to fight to keep her fury from showing on her face. There was only one person that would dare to Apparate uninvited to Malfoy Manor, causing the alarms to go off, and yet was familiar with the wards enough to know how to silence them.

Smiling at her many guests who she could see were already coming up with ways to spin this tale to the rest of their society, Narcissa excused herself before heading down to the basement. It was time to show her dear sister just how welcome her presence was.

* * *

"Ginny! Come taste this!" George called to her as she tumbled out of the fireplace in the backroom of the twins' shop.

Knowing her brothers knew better than to play a trick on her (they knew firsthand how powerful her Bat-Bogey Hex was), she tasted the concoction George held out to her. "Not bad. It's not sweet enough though, if you're thinking of making it into a candy."

"We're not sure yet what it'll be for. But we'll keep the sweets idea in mind for sure!"

Waving at George who had already turned back to his cauldron, Ginny quickly said hi to Fred and Lee who were minding the shop before heading towards Gringotts. Neville had owled her saying he and his grandmother were dropping by to pick up supplies for the school year and that she had agreed to let him stay longer in Diagon Alley as long as he returned in time for supper.

While she had never really minded being poor as Ron did, she was still glad they had some steady cash flow now. Thanks to her father's promotion and the reward she and Ron received for their part in capturing the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries, she had her own vault that she was free to use for whatever she wanted. It was nice seeing piles of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts shining at her instead of a dirty floor.

Gathering a handful of coins, she left the bank and was about to head to Madam Malkin's when she ran headfirst into someone.

"Oof!"

Hearing the moan, Ginny looked up. "I'm so sor- " The apology she was about to make died on her lips when she saw who exactly it was that she ran into. "Well, well, well; look who it is. Percy."

Percy winced visibly at hearing the cold tone and Ginny was glad. "How's the job at the Ministry, Percy? Oh, that's right – Fudge _fired_ you. How does it feel, having _abandoned_ your _family_ for _power_, only to realize that the family you abandoned because they held you back rose far higher than you'd ever thought was possible? What's that? You're going to have to speak up, Perce – I can't hear you over the jiggling of the Galleons in my pocket."

Sneering at Percy who looked down at the ground in shame, Ginny was about to leave when Percy grabbed her arm, holding her in place.

"Let me go."

At her menacing tone, Percy almost loosened his hold but snapped himself out of it and held firm. "Ginny, I- "

"Going to apologize? Don't bother. You're not a Weasley anymore, Percy – isn't that what you wanted? After everything you did, do you really expect forgiveness? Forget it! You broke Mum's _heart!_ And that's something that I don't think anyone in _my_ family will _ever_ forgive."

With that, Ginny left Percy and headed to Fred and George's shop – she wasn't in the mood to look around anymore.


	10. The road to hell

Hi! I am so sorry for the delay, but life's been crazy for awhile. Anyway, I am back with a new chapter! Also, just to let you all know, **I have not read Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince!** I have the book (well, not anymore since I lent my copy to a friend), but I wanted to make sure that this story would not at all be influenced by what happens in the sixth book. That way, any possible similarities in the plot to the HBP are due to my ideas alone and thus don't need a spoiler warning attached. So, please, when reviewing, **do not tell me what happens in the sixth book! **We'll see how long I can last without reading HBP, but for now, please refrain from spoiling it for me… Thanks!

**Kaelin-Hikaru** – I'm glad you liked it! Hopefully, more Percy bashing will follow this chapter and the next – the prat deserves it, in my opinion. And I'm completely flattered that you think my story deserves more reviews! I'm just glad people actually like my story – this was the first time I've written in HP fandom and I wasn't too sure how it was going to turn out. Thanks so much!

**AngelicVampiress** – Thank you!

**Iset** – Thanks! Fortunately, Draco won't be in trouble for another few chapters so you can relax. I, of course, can't say the same thing for Harry…

**dihall** – Glad you liked it! Draco's full understanding actually occurs in this chapter – you were correct when you guessed his lack of comments was because of his physical and emotional state in the last chapter. Draco's exploration of his ability as a scanner will come up in the future chapters, along with the others' gifts as well.

**Jasmine** – I'm so flattered! I was actually worried that the action part was a bit too slow in coming, but I thought it would be better this way. I'm glad it made things more believable. And yes, the people from America that were in the-dreamer4's story will not be appearing in mine. I have too many canon characters to work in as is! I plan to make good use of Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini along with the other Slytherins. As for Snape – I didn't want to rush things with him, especially since OotP brought such… discord between him and Harry. It would have taken much longer for them to be comfortable enough and to trust each other enough to be linked in that way. He'll join the Circle soon enough, but he won't get the whole tied-up-power thing. I don't intend to make Snape overly powerful, although he's a formidable wizard in my opinion. And yes, Snape will be like a mentor to Harry, although in a different way than Dumbledore and Remus – as can be seen by Harry's conversation with Snape regarding his sexuality. And more insights into the Malfoys are coming up in this chapter, actually!

**ashbrooke** - Thank you! I too prefer slash. But it'll be Harry/Draco, I'm afraid. While there are some truly amazing Harry/Severus stories, it's not my ship and I don't believe Snape would ever make a move on Harry – not while he's still a student at Hogwarts, anyway. Besides, the age disparity is way too much for me right now – in the future, when Harry's older, it certainly wouldn't be out of place, but Harry's only 16 here and Snape's 37. But there will be Remus/Severus though! I was debating making it Remus/Tonks – way back in the second chapter, actually, there was supposed to be a little sparkage between the two – but I chose Remus/Severus instead, since that has so much more possibilities…

**julia **– Thank you! I promise to try to update faster…

**Caiden** – Thanks!

**ewchy** – I'm so glad you like it, and I'm so flattered that you think I'm better than the-dreamer4! And while there are certainly scenes with Harry and Draco, the pair actually won't get together until school has already started… And it's a good thing I'm updating now – wouldn't want to be taken off of your favourites list!

Huge thanks to my betas, Earthwytch and Abbey (On-A-Rainy-Day)!

* * *

**Chapter Ten: The road to hell…**

Harry slowly left the kitchens and reluctantly headed towards the library to meet with Draco. The blonde had caught up with Harry's quick mention of his new status as a scanner the night before and had refused to let Harry leave until he explained in full detail what he was talking about. While Draco had known what a scanner was, thanks to Dumbledore's book on Magi, he had still wanted to know everything about it. Harry had instead brought him books from the library regarding scanners in exchange for being allowed to head back to his room to sleep; Harry had no desire to incur Madam Pomfrey's wrath even before school started. He promised Draco that he would join him the next morning with whatever he wanted to know; Draco had clearly taken that promise to heart.

Harry had just reached the ground floor and was contemplating Apparating straight to the library instead when he spotted Luna along with Neville and Ginny at the Entrance Hall. Neville seemed positively bewildered at whatever Luna was saying, and Ginny had a bemused smile on her face. Deciding to rescue poor Neville, Harry approached them.

"Luna! You're back! How was your trip?" Luna and her father, after visiting Sweden, had decided to travel the entire summer.

Looking solemnly at Harry, she answered, "The trip was excellent overall, even though Dad and I didn't get to see Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. We might have found Blibbering Humdinger though! Dad said he'll get the film developed soon so that we can prove their existence once and for all." Luna didn't so much as blink seeing a much different Harry Potter – it was definitely a nice change of pace for the "Boy Who Lived". Harry wondered if she noticed the changes and just didn't want to comment, or if she simply didn't notice, as was her usual fashion.

"Er, that's great!"

As Luna began to describe the Blibbering Humdinger she saw in more detail, Harry noticed a tall, slender figure running towards them. Harry could see that it was a woman with dark red hair, almost brown in appearance. She was fairly tall – Harry guessed about six feet – and she seemed to be around McGonagall's age, he thought. She was in a dark green robe that seemed to shimmer as she moved. Her clothes were well-made and fashionable, if the look on Ginny's face was any indication. Even while hurrying, she was smiling and waving at them.

"Hello. It seems as though I'm quite a bit late for the staff meeting. Could one of you tell me how to get to the staff room?"

"You must be the new Potions Professor!" She smiled and nodded in response, and her eyes twinkled much like those of Dumbledore. Harry found himself liking her immediately. "The staff room is down that way – it has a stone gargoyle on either side of the door. You can't miss it."

"Thank you. See you all September first!"

Once she was out of the earshot, Ginny asked, "Who do you think she is?"

Staring dreamily at the wall, Luna absently answered, "She's Perenelle Flamel."

"Flamel?" was the surprised chorus at that statement.

"But I thought the Flamels passed away…" Harry said, remembering the conversation with Dumbledore in the hospital wing after the whole debacle with the Philosopher's Stone.

"And isn't she like six hundred years old? I thought the Philosopher's Stone granted the drinker immortality, not eternal youth. I wonder how she managed to stay so young…" Ginny mused.

"Well, it makes sense if you think about it – what's the point of being immortal if you can't do all the fun stuff that comes with living? Maybe she created a potion to that allows the drinker to stay young."

"Hmm… I wonder if such a potion actually exists, and if she'll answer if I asked," Ginny pondered aloud. After all, she could only imagine how much craze such a potion would generate. A potion that would allow the drinker to remain youthful would be the most sought-after item of all the witches and wizards in the world. Even the most unpretentious of peoples would be hard pressed to not crave the closest thing to immortality available.

Eventually, Luna, Neville and Ginny headed towards the Room of Requirement to meet with the rest of the DA. While the lessons were over, most of the members had decided to continue meeting there to hang out until school started. It really was doing wonders for inter-House unity, Harry thought. Harry waved to them, promising to join them as soon as he was done with Draco at the library.

* * *

Draco tried to rein in his excitement. He had hardly slept last night, the books having been a fascinating read. He couldn't wait to tell his parents – he was finally becoming worthy of the Malfoy name!

Every Malfoy in history had some type of an accomplishment from their school days, whether good or bad. Cassius Malfoy had been such a renowned master of the Dark Arts that he was allowed to graduate from Durmstrang early at the age of fifteen. Leila Malfoy had actually burned down an entire wing at Beauxbatons when she was thirteen. There had been good Malfoys as well, of course, but their stories weren't nearly as interesting – just tops of their classes, receiving various recognition and awards from the schools and such. His own father had been the top of his class and had ruled the House of Slytherin with finesse that Draco couldn't manage even half as well. Oh sure, most of them followed him, but that was because of his name, not because of who he was. And Draco wasn't the top of his class either – the only thing he was better at than that Mudblood Granger was in Potions and that was probably because Snape favoured his House above all others.

Draco knew his parents would be proud of him even if he was mediocre, but he wanted to go down in the annals of Malfoy History as being something more than just a spoiled brat. He wanted to be worthy of his ancestors and the ancient pure-blood history of the Malfoys. And now, with his new scanning abilities, he would definitely be considered worthy.

"Draco, stop. You're trying too hard. You have to relax." Harry massaged his temples – Draco was giving him one hell of a migraine.

"Relax? You want me to relax? Potter, I'm a _scanner!_ Do you have any idea how rare that is? I'm one of the youngest scanners in almost a century! If my training goes well, I could be the first to actually master the skill mere weeks after discovery! I can't wait to-"

Harry softly interrupted. "And what happens when Voldemort finds out?"

Draco opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say. He would be invaluable to the Dark Lord and if he ever found out, Draco would likely have to kiss any semblance of a life goodbye. The Dark Lord would never allow Draco to escape his clutches and would do all he could to ensure that Draco remained in his service. Draco shivered at the thought of being forced to serve that monster. How positively vile he found the idea to be, when just a few months ago, he would have been honoured to have been given such a position in the Dark Army!

Harry lightly touched Draco's shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. "You can tell the world once we win, okay? Now, let's try this again. Remember, you can't force it – just let it happen naturally. Close your eyes and try to relax."

Draco closed his eyes, blocking off everything and tried to turn off his busy brain. At least Potter wasn't saying something stupid like "Find your centre" or "Be one with your inner soul."

Draco stifled a chuckle and instead concentrated on his breathing. _In and out. In and out. Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale. Lub-dub. Lub-dub._ Draco had no idea what he was supposed to do and it was boring as hell just listening to his heartbeat.

Knowing he would fall asleep if he kept his eyes closed any longer, Draco opened them and was bombarded by brilliant lights. There was a half-sphere of golden light around him – he guessed those were wards of some type that Potter put up – and beyond them were various other flecks of colours. Some were weaved together while others were 'floating'. Around them all was Hogwarts itself, and Draco had to close his eyes to shield them from the brightness of the light Hogwarts' wards produced. It seemed as if brightness reflected the concentration and strength of magic involved.

/ _Draco? Are you alright?_ /

Draco's voice held a hint of awe. / _I saw. The lights – they're beautiful. Is that what you see?_ / Draco opened his eyes again and was disappointed when he couldn't the lights anymore. It was one thing to know intellectually that he could 'see' magic; it was a whole other thing to experience it firsthand.

Like all other pure-blood wizards, Draco had been taught from a very young age to look at magic in a way Mudbloods would never understand. They couldn't properly grasp what it meant to be a witch or a wizard – all they saw was a means to make their lives simpler and deem them better than their Muggle counterparts. It was one of the reasons why most pure-bloods considered Mudbloods to be inferior. But for a moment, Draco had been connected to magic in a way even the most pure-blooded of wizards would never be. It had made him feel proud yet humbled, and that connection he had felt with the very magic that surrounded them all… it had been indescribable.

Harry waved his hand and the shield around Draco dissolved. "It was amazing, wasn't it? That feeling of rightness and belonging…" At that, Draco's head snapped around in surprise to face Harry as the latter trailed off. Shaking his head to snap himself out of his thoughts, Harry continued with the lesson. "Anyway, in time, you'll learn to control it so that magic – the brightness you saw – won't overwhelm your senses. And with practice, you'll be able to scan for longer periods of time without experiencing a massive headache."

Draco's face reflected such eagerness and joy that Harry was almost about to suggest they skip lunch and just continue on with their lesson, regardless of his raging headache. He had never seen the blonde so… happy, and almost carefree, in a way. It was definitely a good look for him, Harry thought. Harry's hunger, however, made itself known quite loudly, and Draco burst out laughing.

Turning red with embarrassment, Harry said, "Come on – you can tell me more about Maria Amenis, the scanner who went insane while we go down to the Great Hall for lunch."

* * *

Fudge inwardly swore as he looked at the report in front of him. Damn Dumbledore for filling Amelia's head with nonsense – like they needed another three hundred thousand Galleons to train and hire more Aurors! If Fudge didn't need the crazy old coot's support so badly, he wouldn't be trying to provide additional funding for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They had more than enough Aurors! Why, he himself had twenty-five Aurors as personal security and he certainly didn't need any more!

And thanks to You-Know-Who's confusing actions against Muggles, the Obliviators were working overtime to make sure the wizarding world remained a secret from Muggles. Fortunately, the Malfoys and the Parkinsons had just given very generous donations to the Ministry. Fudge had intended to use the Galleons to fix up his office and up the security around his home – he was the Minister for Magic after all, the most important wizard in Britain! – but he was willing to make sacrifices for the good of the wizarding world. And people had the gall to say he did nothing for them!

He had just approved the request for additional funding when Agnes, his secretary, knocked and entered.

"Minister, you asked to be informed of any new developments regarding either Potter or Dumbledore."

"Yes, yes, what has that boy done now?"

"Dumbledore has registered Potter as an Animagus – a black wolf, I believe. Dumbledore has asked that the Ministry keep the information safe for now so that we can use it against You-Know-Who."

"Potter's an Animagus? Impossible! Why, the lad's only sixteen!"

"Cornelius, you're working much too hard if you haven't yet heard the news!" Lucius proclaimed as he sauntered into the office.

Fudge quickly wiped the surprised look off his face and turned a simpering smile towards the younger man. "Lucius! It's good to see you! Once again, I sincerely apologize for that fiasco a few months ago – as if you'd willingly serve You-Know-Who!"

Lucius calmly waved away the apology. "It's not necessary, Cornelius. It wasn't your fault – after all, you can't be blamed for others' prejudiced actions." Turning to the secretary still standing by the door, Lucius charmingly asked, "My dear lady, if you would be so kind as to leave us for a moment? I promise to not take up much of the Minister's time."

Blushing, Agnes left the office all flustered and Fudge belatedly shooed her away.

"I am, of course, working incredibly hard these days, what with You-Know-Who's return! Why, just last week, I had to stay in office until five pm! But such sacrifices must be made – I must, after all, ensure the safety of the public! Now, what were you saying, Lucius, about Potter?"

"He's had a magical growth spurt, Cornelius. Changed quite a bit too, from what Draco tells me."

"A magical growth spurt? Merlin!"

"Now now, Cornelius, he's still just a boy. Of course, he's under Dumbledore's thumb… for now. Draco has become friends with the boy and he's told me of Potter's disillusionment with Dumbledore. Potter would be an excellent ally considering that the wizarding world at large thinks he's their saviour. I am, of course, doing all I can to ensure he serves the Ministry instead of Dumbledore and his Order, but some help would not be remiss…"

Fudge eagerly nodded. "Anything you need, Lucius, you have it."

Smirking inwardly at the gleeful look on Fudge's face, Lucius gracefully rose from his chair. "You have important work to do – I won't keep you from them. Do drop by for dinner sometime soon, won't you?"

"Of course, Lucius. Give my regards to Narcissa and Draco."

* * *

Bellatrix had just finished disabling the last of the wards trapping her in the dungeons when the door was blasted open.

Narcissa calmly entered. "Hello, sis, I'm so glad to see you again," Narcissa said coldly before she threw a Blasting Curse at Bellatrix. Stunned, Bellatrix could do nothing except gape as it hit her directly in the shoulder.

Narcissa smiled seeing Bellatrix bite her lip harshly to stop herself from screaming in pain. Most considered Bellatrix to be the most talented of the Blacks in the Dark Arts because of her notoriety. What they didn't know was that Bellatrix was nothing compared to Narcissa. And an angry Narcissa was even more ruthless – and she had a lot to be angry about.

"That was just a friendly warning – now, shall we get down to business?" Narcissa lightly asked before she spelled the dungeons to be inaccessible and silent. It simply wouldn't do to have this get out to the wizarding community.

"_Crucio!_"

Narcissa sidestepped Bellatrix's favourite curse. "Tsk tsk, dear sister, you just don't learn. _Verus Poena!_"

Bellatrix screamed, feeling the long forgotten curse rip into her. One of Narcissa's favourite Dark Arts curses, _Verus Poena_ caused pain in an area of the castor's choosing. Unlike the Cruciatus Curse, there was no chance of the victim losing their mind because the curse wasn't one of the mind – it was real physical suffering. And it wasn't endless either – instead, if left long enough, the nerve damage was irreversible and the area the curse was inflicted upon becomes dead. The castor can then choose another area to inflict pain until the victim succumbs, or dies, as the case may be.

Narcissa moved the curse from Bellatrix's head to her lungs – she would remind her dear sister what a mistake it was to rouse her anger.

* * *

Percy bit his lip as he stared at his pocket watch for what felt like the thousandth time that day. It was still early, early enough to back out and move on. But Percy hadn't been a Gryffindor for no reason – he was stubborn and brave like the rest of the Weasleys, and always had been.

Percy sighed. He had been so sure he'd done the right thing – after all, if you couldn't trust the Ministry and the Minister of Magic, who could you trust? Besides, was it so wrong to side with the law, especially when the opposition had been a not-so-sane fifteen year old boy and a definitely insane old wizard?

All his life, his family had never taken him seriously. Bill and Charlie were not only the eldest but were accomplished and everyone had always been so _proud_ of them; the twins had each other, and Ron and Ginny had always been so much _younger_ than he was. And whenever it had been his time to shine, his spotlight had invariably been taken away by one or more of his siblings.

When he had gotten a job at the Ministry, he had actually begun to make a difference in the world but his family had refused to see that. They just couldn't see that he might have actually been good at his job, that he might be valuable to the Minister for Magic because of his numerous skills and merits.

He wasn't at all certain that he had been in the wrong in his actions – sure, he shouldn't have been so nasty to his parents, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. After all, what kind of parents would suggest that he hadn't been good enough, that the only reason he was offered such a prestigious job was because the Minister wanted a spy? How ridiculous the notion had sounded!

But they weren't necessarily wrong; Percy wasn't so blind or naïve enough to not see that. While he wasn't absolutely certain of the Minister's motivations, the reason he was dismissed was under false pretences. He had been such an integral part of the Minister's staff – the Minister must have known about his dismissal. Either he didn't know that Percy had been falsely accused, or he had fired him because Percy could no longer spy for him – and Percy refused to believe the latter.

Before he could think on it further, Percy spotted his mother coming out of the fireplace. Molly Weasley looked around wildly and when she spotted her son, she rushed towards him and pulled him into a tight Weasley hug as she sobbed into his chest. Percy awkwardly hugged her back, trying to calm her down so that they wouldn't attract any more attention from the crowd in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Mother, please, calm yourself."

Molly blabbered on, not having heard her son. "Percy, my dear Percy! I knew you'd come to your senses and beg for forgiveness!" Not noticing Percy's sudden stiffness, she continued. "Oh, how I've missed you! I was so happy when I received your owl… Let me look at you," Molly said before she pulled back and examined her third son. He had always been on the thin side, but he was much more so now; and he was paler too. "Have you not been eating properly? Come! I'm going to fix you your favourites – oh, won't the family be happy to see you?"

Percy, who paled at hearing that – he could just imagine their reactions at his return – asked, "Mother, I have an appointment later today that I can't miss. How about I come over tomorrow for lunch?" Hopefully, that would narrow down the number of Weasleys he would have to encounter at once.

Molly hesitated but for a moment. She was certain Dumbledore would understand. She lowered her voice and drew Percy closer to her. "Here, Percy, take this. I can't tell you where I'm at since the place we're staying in is the Order Headquarters and Dumbledore's the Secret Keeper. But the Portkey will take you directly there – when you're ready, just tap that with your wand and say "Fawkes"."

Percy's eyes widened in surprise before he nodded. So that's where his family had relocated to. With a final tearful hug from Molly, Percy left to Apparate home.

* * *

Severus had been putting finishing touches on an extremely volatile potion when he heard a knock on his door. "Go away!" he yelled, not wanting to be distracted. It couldn't be important after all – had it been, Harry or Albus would have mindcalled him already.

He was carefully adding drops of salamander blood when another knock was heard. Growling, he finished adding the drops and quickly turned off the flame – it needed to be cooled for precisely fifteen minutes. Intending to get rid of whoever was at his door, Severus yanked it open and yelled, "What?"

Remus, who had been about to knock again, jerked back in surprise.

"Lupin! I was in the middle of brewing a very delicate potion. What do you want?"

"It'll be a full moon in a few days and I've finished the last batch of Wolfsbane Potion you've given me, Severus."

Snape sighed. Checking to make sure he still had time, he grabbed a box of the newly made potions from his desk. "These are stronger than the ones you're used to, but they should lessen the pain of transformation. While it won't harm you, there will likely be side effects that are just as bad, if not worse, than before. Still, it should not only help you keep whatever sanity you have left, but make the transformation virtually painless. Make sure you document everything."

"Thank you, Severus," Remus said softly, holding the box carefully in his grasp. He couldn't believe the latest batch of Wolfsbane Potion might be able to get rid of the pain of his transformation.

Snarling at the way Lupin held the box as if it were a cure for lycanthropy, Snape harshly bit out, "I didn't do it to help you, Lupin," before slamming the door in the werewolf's face. The nerve of that, that… Gryffindor! As if Snape would actually want to help him! Lupin was a convenient guinea pig for his experiments, nothing more.

Refusing to give into his anger, he headed back to his potion. He carefully added the precise amount of frog brains as soon as the fifteen minutes were up, and let the calming and exact art of potion making soothe his nerves.

* * *

Lucius swiftly entered the room and fell before the Dark Lord's feet. "My Lord, everything will be done as you have requested. Your followers will be free from Azkaban on the night of September first."

"Excellent, Lucius. You have always been one of the most talented of all my Death Eaters, and I know you want to be in that position of power again. Don't fail in your task, and you might earn my complete trust once again."

"You are gracious, my Lord." Kissing the hem of his dark robes once, Lucius backed out of the room before Apparating back to Malfoy Manor.

* * *

**A few explanations…**

While I had originally planned to make the Potions Professor Nicholas Flamel, JKR confirmed that he died – but as far as I know, she never said anything about Perenelle Flamel dying as well. But still, I had intended to make the Potions Professor a wizard – a descendant of the Flamels and a distant cousin of Luna Lovegood's actually, and both of my betas preferred that idea. But then I thought that if the Flamels had any children, they too would have benefited from the Stone's effects as well, and their children's children and so forth, until there either wasn't enough elixir to go around, or for someone else – a friend of the family, or whoever – to get greedy. After all, the elixir turns all metals into pure gold. And, since they had the only Philosopher's Stone in existence, they would have been hounded by everyone to reveal the secrets on how to make the Stone. That made me think that maybe they were in hiding of some sort from the world, which would have made things much more difficult for their children, and grandchildren etc. In my opinion, hiding that many people for that long certainly isn't feasible. So I concluded that Flamels must not have had any descendants or relatives, since otherwise, they too would have gotten some of the elixir as well.

So, back to Perenelle Flamel… All we have are Dumbledore's words saying that they had enough time to put their affairs in order. However, in my story, something had happened years ago that allowed Perenelle to live while Nicholas died – and that's actually brought up next chapter, so I'm not going to explain here.

Hopefully, that made sense – if not, and if Perenelle Flamel has truly been declared dead by JKR, I invoke my right as an AU author to claim she lives. LOL.

P.S. Just in case you didn't know, Amelia mentioned by Fudge is Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.


	11. is paved with good intentions

Here's the latest chapter! Thank you for not mentioning HBP in your reviews - I've been dying to read it but I've been good so far. Hopefully, I can continue to hold off... Anyway, enjoy and don't forget to review!

**belelfmir**** – **Thanks, and I hope you were able to eventually read chapter 10. I'm not sure what was wrong, since I could see it okay. If you still can't see chapter 10, let me know!

**HPcoldfire**** –** Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! And I can't resist Harry/Draco either – there's just something about those two… LOL.

**ewchy** – Thanks! And I will try to update as quickly as I can. And don't worry – Harry and Draco will get together soon – not too soon, obviously, but you'll begin to see some sparks flying between them in the meantime!

**dihall** – Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! And yes, the boys will get together eventually… I'm not too sure if I'm going to make Remus and Severus or Ron and Hermione get together before Harry and Draco… That'd be certainly interesting…

Thanks to my betas, Earthwytch and Abbey (On-A-Rainy-Day) for their help!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: …is paved with good intentions**

Narcissa stopped the curse and Bellatrix panted, trying to get oxygen to her deprived lungs. "Now Bella, what have we learned?" Narcissa crooned patronisingly.

Bellatrix stared hatefully at her younger sister. Everyone had always adored Narcissa and constantly fawned over her, since she had been the first Black in years with such light colouring, even though Bellatrix had been the one who looked far more exotic. And although Bellatrix was the elder, Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy – the white-blonde hair and fair complexion was a Malfoy trademark after centuries of careful breeding, and Narcissa, with her pale blonde hair and blue eyes, was a perfect match. Bellatrix had wanted to marry Lucius because he was powerful, rich and handsome, but Lucius had never even looked in her direction.

When Bellatrix had escaped from Azkaban, Narcissa continually flaunted her beauty, wealth, power, and ownership of Lucius in her face. Bellatrix hadn't really cared about Lucius – after all, she hadn't gotten along with him in ages! He was a traitor in her eyes for denouncing the Dark Lord to escape Azkaban, and although the Dark Lord had accepted him back into the Inner Circle due to his connections, she basked in the fact that he'd never trust Lucius as much as he trusted her. Still, losing her beauty was a sore point and Narcissa was long overdue for a lesson. Bellatrix spat at Narcissa's robe, staining the pristine light blue with blood. "Go… to… hell!" she wheezed out.

Narcissa's expression turned icy as she stared at the blood trickling down her new custom-designed robe. She was about to curse the living daylights out of Bellatrix when someone else Apparated into the room.

"Narcissa?" Lucius carefully called out, not wanting to get in between whatever the two Black sisters were fighting over. He had learned that particular lesson the hard way years ago, and he was still paying the price for it. The only upside was that there would be no need to divide up the Malfoy fortune.

Narcissa greeted her husband with a cool smile before summoning Bellatrix's wand. She snapped it in half and threw the pieces away before she bound Bellatrix to the chains hanging on the wall. With a firm gag in place, Narcissa briefly cast the Cruciatus Curse on her before ending the spell – she had many more issues to take up with her sister and she didn't want Bellatrix to lose whatever mind she had left.

"Come along, darling; we have guests waiting."

Knowing better than to argue with Narcissa, Lucius summoned a house-elf to fetch new robes for Narcissa and himself before sealing the dungeons shut. Perhaps the Dark Lord would summon Bellatrix in the meantime; if she failed to answer her summons, the Dark Lord, in his anger, might just entrust him with more information than he'd been previously given. Being below Wormtail in anything was a humiliation he couldn't stomach.

* * *

"Sherbet lemon?" Dumbledore offered Perenelle as they sat in his office.

"Thank you, Albus," Perenelle said as she popped the sweet into her mouth. "Too many people nowadays are so absorbed with whatever is going on in their lives that they don't have the time to simply enjoy a good treat."

"Hear hear," Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm glad you agreed to teach Potions here. It's good seeing you, old friend."

"You as well, Albus. Your offer, I must admit, couldn't have come at a better time. With Nicholas gone… well, things just haven't been the same," Perenelle sighed wistfully. "And I did miss you and your antics something terrible – you certainly haven't changed in the last hundred or so years! I thought that Defence Professor of yours was going to have a heart attack when you introduced me!"

Dumbledore's lips twitched in amusement, remembering the sheer shock and awe of his staff when he had introduced Perenelle as the new Potions Professor. Severus, who worshipped the Flamels for not only being true legends in the field of Alchemy and Potions, but also for being worthy of such titles, had been floored. It had felt so good to actually surprise Severus – Dumbledore was certain that remembering the usually composed man become inarticulate would be enough to lighten his mood in the upcoming days of trial. Not to mention, it was about time that he saw emotions besides anger and disdain on Severus's face. It was never a good idea for a man like Severus to bottle everything up.

"Are you still planning on countering the Stone's effects?"

Perenelle headed towards the window and looked out at the late afternoon sky. "I have no desire to live forever, Albus, especially since Nicholas is gone. Watching him die and being unable to join him has been one of the most trying moments in my long life. I have seen all I want to see of this world – I want to go on my next great adventure," she said softly.

Dumbledore smiled sadly for his dear friend and mentor. He hadn't been there for her as much as he should have these past few years, but she was here now. And as Perenelle had always said, life was far too short for regrets – even if you lived to be six hundred and sixty-three years old. "I will do everything I can to help you, Perenelle. You'll see Nicholas yet."

* * *

Kieran Macnair had been sitting at a table in the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for Vincent Crabbe to show when he spotted the Weasley reunion, along with everyone else in the establishment. Sneering in disgust, he was about to leave, deciding to owl Vincent instead when he heard the female Weasley talking about Dumbledore's Order. He strained his ears to listen and had to stop himself from gasping in excitement. His eyes immediately sought the brooch lying on Weasley's palm. While the brooch itself was probably worthless, if what he'd heard was right, the Portkey led directly into the Order Headquarters.

Waiting until some time passed after both of the Weasleys had left, Kieran immediately Apparated home and Flooed to Malfoy Manor. This was the perfect opportunity for him to not only prove himself, but to get revenge on his father's behalf. Kieran had been deemed too young and not worthy enough to get the Dark Mark; well, if he succeeded in his mission and managed to not only capture but kill several Order members, then the Dark Lord couldn't possibly refuse him.

When Kieran stepped out of the fireplace, he found himself bound by the wards. Unable to move, he simply waited, hoping the Malfoys were home – he didn't fancy being trapped like this for much longer.

He gave a nearly silent sigh of relief when he heard footsteps nearing the door; his relief soon turned into fear when he caught sight of the wands trained on him. Fortunately, instead of being cursed, he found himself released from the wards, though the wands didn't travel far.

"Kieran, may I ask why you're here at Malfoy Manor, uninvited?" Narcissa asked pleasantly enough, but her tone was distinctly cool.

"I need your help. You know about my wanting to be Marked, though our Lord and my father fear I'm too young and impulsive to be one of his chosen. Well, I've just discovered a way to get into the Order Headquarters. If I lead this mission, I can prove that I'm worthy."

"And you wonder why you were not inducted into the Dark Army!" Lucius's patience was wearing thin. The last time Kieran had discovered 'valuable information', it had gotten Macnair cursed to within an inch of his life. Lucius had no intention of suffering because a seventeen year old thought he knew better than his elders. "You have no way of verifying this information, and the Dark Lord does not waste his time with such nonsense."

"It's not nonsense! I heard from the Weasleys themselves!"

Lucius scoffed. "Kieran, go home."

"Why aren't you _listening_ to me? Our Lord will be furious that you-"

Lucius's gaze turned cold, and Kieran had to fight to keep his face from blanching. "You presume too much, Kieran. It is only my respect for your father that is keeping you from suffering under a Cruciatus Curse right now. As for why I'm not even bothering to hear your tale: the Order Headquarters is under a Fidelius Charm; only its Secret Keeper can tell you where it is, and that person is Dumbledore himself. I am not about to waste the Dark Lord's time with such rubbish. So stop being foolish, boy, and go home."

Kieran's expression was thunderous, but he obeyed. Lucius was powerful and one of the Dark Lord's favourites; Kieran didn't stand a chance against him. He'd just have to do this himself.

When the flames turned red once again, Lucius turned to Narcissa. "Owl Draco, just in case Kieran really has found out something. I'd better go inform the Dark Lord."

* * *

Kieran returned to the Leaky Cauldron and was relieved when he spotted Vincent Crabbe. Grabbing the boy's arm, Kieran ignored his protests and dragged him home.

"We're going to get revenge for our fathers' imprisonment tonight."

"We are?"

Kieran threw summoned food from the kitchens at a bewildered Crabbe. "We are. I'm going to go to the Ministry and find out where that Weasley's currently living; stay here until I come back."

Kieran once again stepped into the fireplace, leaving behind a confused Crabbe who simply shrugged and proceeded to devour the food placed in front of him.

* * *

Percy Apparated into his tiny living room and sighed as he looked around. How he missed the comfortable yet semi-luxurious flat he had occupied mere months ago! His home in downtown London had been a bit expensive, but he had been paid well to be on the Minister's staff and thought it worthy of a man who was quickly rising through the ranks. After all, you couldn't rub shoulders with the wealthy by living in squalor.

When he'd lost his job, he had thought it'd be a temporary thing at first, soon to be resolved when they realized the mistake they'd made in dismissing him. However, the days turned into weeks and soon, Percy couldn't delude himself anymore. But he chose to keep the flat, thinking he'd have no trouble finding a job, what with the skills he had and the excellent recommendations he'd received while working for the Ministry.

How naïve he'd been. Because he had been fired, he no longer had the right recommendations to back him. And although the Weasley name had risen in the wizarding world, everyone was aware of his severed ties with them. Most assumed he'd been kicked out of the family because he had turned Dark, and with You-Know-Who's return, no one wanted to associate with those who were labelled as Dark. That and no one wanted to hire a man who the Minister himself blamed for several illegal dealings – even with Percy insisting they were false.

For weeks he'd tried to find another respectable job. He might have succeeded had he bothered to look at those he deemed beneath him. But he was Percy Weasley – he graduated with 12 NEWTs and had worked for the Minister for Magic – he refused to settle for a menial job.

Through it all, he kept the flat, choosing to sacrifice few of the luxuries he didn't really need. When months had gone by with no job in sight, he had to face reality. He gave up the flat and moved further away from downtown, to a less than respectable neighbourhood but with a cheaper rent. But even renting such a dump was costly; he'd had to cut back on things like food and clothes – in fact, he was back to wearing the hand-me-downs he had snubbed his nose at months ago. The irony of his family being richer than they had been in decades while he was now dirt poor was not lost on him.

Ignoring his grumbling stomach, he placed the Portkey on his shoddy wooden table and headed into his equally tiny bedroom. Sleep could not come fast enough for one Percy Weasley.

* * *

"Ron, aren't you coming?" Ginny asked, staring worriedly at her brother who had remained mostly silent the last few hours. She had noticed how he'd avoided Hermione and how she would glance at him every so often with a miserable expression on her face. The fact that Ron wasn't rushing out of here to get to the Great Hall for dinner didn't ease her suspicions.

"I'm going to talk to Harry about something. Go ahead – we'll meet you there."

Ginny reluctantly nodded and left, hurrying to catch up with Luna and Hermione.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Ron turned to Harry. "Mate, I need you to teach me Occlumency."

Harry was taken aback. He was sure the only reason he hadn't fallen over in shock was because he was sitting on a couch. "What? Ron- "

"I know it's hard, okay? I was reading about it and it sounded really complicated. But- "

"Hold on a minute. You looked up Occlumency? From the library?" When that failed to garner the requisite response from Ron, Harry sobered. "Ron, what's going on?" Harry stared at the fidgeting figure before it hit him. "This is about Hermione, isn't it? That's why you guys aren't talking – because she heard your thoughts. Ron, she made a mistake! Everyone does at one time or another! I mean, look at me!"

"Are you going to teach me or not?"

Harry ignored the question. "Why are you making such a big deal about this? It's not like you wouldn't have done the same! Tell me that if you were a mindspeaker, you wouldn't have used your gift that way!"

Ron remained silent, looking everywhere else but at Harry.

"Ron, what's this really about? Are you that upset over Hermione hearing about how you feel about her? Cause I have to tell you mate, she probably already knew."

Ron flushed. "No! I mean, I was embarrassed over it, sure, but that's not why I'm upset, not really. It's just… I can't trust her anymore, Harry! I can't trust Hermione!"

"Ron…"

"No! If I had her gift, sure, I'd probably have heard other people's thoughts too. But that's me! And I'd never do that to you or to her, because if I don't know something, either I trust you to tell me when the time's right, or I accept you won't tell me because I'm better off not knowing! And while that might piss me off mate, I wouldn't invade your privacy that way because I don't want to violate that trust! Besides, knowing Hermione, she'd have found out about it somehow and never let me live it down. So after what she did… I just… I don't think I can be friends with her anymore."

"Ron, no one's perfect. So she made a mistake – she's not the first one. You violated my trust when you chose someone else's words over mine, when you didn't trust me or believe me back in fourth year. Sure, what you did didn't violate my privacy. But you did violate the trust I had placed in you as my best friend, who should have trusted me and stayed by me because you knew who I really was. But I forgave you, didn't I? Just like I forgave you a few weeks ago – because you're my best friend, and you mean more to me than holding a few grudges."

When Ron still looked torn, Harry stood up from his seat on the couch. He put his hand on his best friend's shoulders and forced him to meet his eyes. "You pledged your friendship to Hermione – you said that you'll always be friends, no matter what. Magus pledges can't ever be broken without serious repercussions, mate. The fact that nothing's happened to you yet means you still consider Hermione to be your friend. Think on that."

Deciding to give Ron the time to think about what he said, Harry Disapparated. _Time to go and console Hermione... I hope this is over soon! _

* * *

"Master, Kieran Macnair has visited my wife and me tonight, claiming he knows a way into the Order Headquarters. It appears the boy is desperate to prove himself in your eyes, my Lord. What is your will?"

Voldemort inwardly sighed. He had such high hopes for Macnair's heir, but the boy was extremely foolhardy and naïve. He was too much of a Gryffindor and without the strength to back up his hasty actions, he was no better than a Squib. How he got into Durmstrang and did well was a mystery.

"Let the boy do what he feels is necessary. Perhaps it will teach him a valuable lesson. If, however, his actions, no matter how unwitting, interfere with my plans, kill him."

"It shall be done, my Lord."

* * *

Kieran shot a frustrated glare at Crabbe. "Will you be quiet about your stomach? We have a mission to complete!"

"But I'm hungry!"

Kieran had to stop himself from screaming out loud in sheer aggravation. "Once this is over, I'll let you eat whatever you want when we get back to my house, okay?" Kieran bit out harshly.

Crabbed thought on that for a moment before nodding. "Okay!"

Kieran sighed in relief and continued walking down the Muggle street. He detested wearing Muggle clothes, but it wouldn't do to wear robes. Crabbe had protested vehemently about that too – in the end, Kieran had had to bribe him with promise of buying him several Butterbeers. While Crabbe wasn't his ideal choice for a partner tonight, he was the only one available. Besides, they both had personal stakes in this mission, and that could only help them in reaching their goal.

"Now, do you remember what to do?" Kieran asked Crabbe while they stood outside Percy Weasley's flat. Kieran suppressed the urge to shudder – it befitted a Weasley to live in such a disgusting place.

"I make sure Weasley doesn't hurt you while you look for the brooch."

"Good. _Alohamora._"

The door clicked open and Kieran signalled for Crabbe to open the door – there was no way he was touching that filthy thing. Besides, there might be wards and Kieran didn't plan on getting caught in them for the second time tonight.

The flat was even worse inside than outside, if that was possible. _At least the place doesn't have a disgusting smell_, Kieran thought as he walked around, trying to find the Portkey.

It didn't take too long – the place was really small and Weasley didn't hinder his efforts as he was asleep – and soon, Kieran and Crabbe were holding onto the brooch. "Remember, use whatever curse you can to inflict the most damage. Don't move away from me – I hold the other Portkey that'll take us home. Got it?"

Crabbe nodded and with a touch of a wand and a whispered word, the two disappeared.

* * *

Molly had been regaling the few members of the Order who had come by to partake in her cooking with the story of her son's return, when out of nowhere, two boys appeared and began to throw curses and hexes at them.

It took a weak Killing Curse that broke Molly's wand arm to snap the Order members out of their stupor and they began to fire back. Molly, who was in too much of a shock to feel the pain, watched as two boys, who couldn't have been older than Ron, tried their hardest to curse them. While they were familiar with the Dark Arts, they weren't strong enough nor experienced enough, and soon, the Order members (except for Arabella who couldn't do anything but hover protectively over Molly) had them backed into a corner. In a clearly desperate attempt, the much thinner and curly haired boy repeatedly shouted, "_Reducto!_" The curses hit all over the place and the last thing Molly saw was a part of a wall flying straight at her.


	12. Consequences Part 1

Hi everyone. I apologize for my long absence, but I've unfortunately had some personal things I needed to take care of first. But I'm back now and I'll do my best to keep updating as fast as I can.

**Please read!** I've been getting quite a few emails with questions and/or comments about Molly's actions from the last chapter. A number of you have said how out of character she seemed. So I thought I should go over my rationale for the reasons why Molly acted the way she did and why I don't think it's really out of character at all.

Molly loves Percy – despite everything he's done, he is her son, her own flesh and blood. Plus, he's the only one whom Molly probably thought was perfect in every way – quiet, studious, and not at all a troublemaker like the twins; a prefect who later became Head Boy, graduating from Hogwarts with 12 NEWTs. Sure, Bill appears to have done the same, but he's much older with a job of his own and a girlfriend Molly doesn't necessarily approve of (that's what I think anyway – if I'm wrong, sorry). Besides, with the twins causing trouble practically every moment of every day, Percy appears to be a godsend to Molly, changing him from a good son like Bill to a perfect one – at least in Molly's eyes. He's the only one in the family who didn't give Molly any grief – that is, until he cut off all ties with his family. Still, Molly's been hoping he'd return to her for months, thinking that when he finally does, things will become normal (or as normal as it can get) for the Weasleys again. They'll be a family, and it's the one thing in this crazy war-torn world (or about to be anyway) that she can control. After all, her children are all older and able to now make decisions of their own. She really no longer has a say in what they do, leading her to feel like they no longer need her. After years of mothering them, she feels this great loss, which isn't at all helped by Arthur's new job that has him constantly away from her and the children. All she does is cook and clean a house that is not even hers, and that helplessness and frustration leads her to focus on the one thing she can do something about, something she's led herself to believe will solve all of her problems – Percy's return to the family. So when it looked as if her chance at normalcy seemed to be slipping away, she does the only thing she can do – she gives Percy the Portkey, despite the possible repercussions of her actions and knowing she wasn't supposed to have let anyone know of its existence.

Anyway, hopefully the explanation above made sense and explained where I'm coming from. Obviously, there are severe consequences to Molly's actions as you'll see in this chapter and in the ones to come, although the 'punishment' mainly comes from Molly herself.

**lightintheattic** – I have no intention of killing off either Molly or Hermione, so put your mind at ease!

**lotr325 – **Thank you! And I had the exact same reaction when I read it! Sorry for leaving you waiting for so long – I promise to be better about updates next time!

**dihall** – Yeah, Molly's actions were definitely careless. But like you said, she loves Percy. I hope the explanation I've posted at the top helps explain Molly's actions and gets you to sympathize a bit with her as well. And yes, Ron will get over his anger soon enough. I don't like stories where Ron suddenly matures into this completely understanding best friend because I find it unbelievable. He won't stay a git forever, obviously, but for now, he has his moments. And more Harry/Draco as well as Narcissa's 'conversations' with Bellatrix will be coming up in the next couple of chapters or so!

**Argo** – You do? Good! I've done my part then. ;-) Of course, you should also still be thinking he's a git who needs to come down from his high horse too… It'll happen… eventually (it will be a gradual change). And yes, Molly will live to regret her actions, which have a very high cost (as you'll see in this chapter). Hopefully though, my explanation posted at the top will get you to sympathize a bit with her as well. And as fun as it would be to have Ron learn Occlumency – not going to happen, I'm afraid. He's going to learn to trust and forgive Hermione the good old fashioned way – through time and extenuating circumstances. LOL.

**Julia** – I'm glad you liked it! And don't worry – Molly's fine. Well, physically, at least…

**Oxygen Kiss** – Yay! Thank you! It's definitely one of my favourites as well!

**angelkitty77** – Sorry for the long delay – I'll try do better next time!

**murdrax** – Thank you! I realize the whole 'Malfoys betraying Voldemort' plot isn't really original, but I hope to put my own spin on things to make it entertaining, at least!

**B. M. Gray** – Thank you! Hopefully, I can get you to change the "good" and "decent" to great – or I can try, at any rate! I'm glad you're enjoying it – the-dreamer4 is a great writer and I'm just playing in her little world (as well as JKR's, of course) – and having a blast while doing so! And thank you for pointing out the whole Killing Curse issue – I've fixed it so that a Magus shield only deflects the Imperius and the Cruciatus Curse. If you see any other glaring errors, please let me know!

**The Beautiful Sage** – Thank you!

**Gato-sama** – I'm glad you're enjoying it! Yes, the beginning's very similar to the-dreamer4's story, but I definitely have a different plot in mind. I'm glad I was able to change your mind! And I actually have this story planned out until Harry finishes Hogwarts – and even a bit after that as well – so you'll be seeing me for quite a while!

**HPcoldfire** – No, Molly won't die. I'm not that cruel. Mwahahaha!

**Madam Whitbrook** – I'm sorry you feel that way. Molly wasn't being a moron (and where in the story does Dumbledore appear to be one?); hopefully, my post at the top helps explain where I was coming from. And I do actually know where I am going – I have the plot pretty much planned out until Harry graduates from Hogwarts. I'll try to do better in maintaining the flow – perhaps that'll help. If you have any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them. Hopefully my explanation can get you to change your mind – if not, thanks for reading thus far!

**Never Odd Or eveN** – Thank you! I'll try to update faster, I promise!

**PrettyPrincessRen** – Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

**iamtherealmaverick** – Interesting? In a good way, I hope! And I'll try to update faster next time!

**jimhh **– I didn't want to change the powers too much, because I really liked how the-dreamer4 worked it out in her story. And while the beginning is quite similar to hers, I do have a different plot in mind (in fact, it should be very obvious by now that I'm going in a completely different direction). If I were to change the powers and make the circumstances different, it wouldn't be a 'spin-off' of The Awakening of a Magus. Also, I'm actually not planning on giving Snape any special ability. I do think he's a powerful wizard in the books, and that'll be reflected in this story. However, is he the most powerful wizard besides Harry and Dumbledore? No. Will he ever be? Not likely. Nor will Draco be overly powerful – Draco may be a scanner, but he's also only a 16 year old boy. Besides, special abilities don't mean that the person has an abundance of magical strength and/or potential. But thank you for your input! Hopefully, I can get you to change that "Not bad" to good or great!

Huge thanks to my betas, Earthwytch and On-A-Rainy-Day (Abbey)! And I haven't read HBP yet so please refrain from spoiling it for me! I'm so tempted to read it, but I've managed to resist so far… How? I have no clue…

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Consequences Part I **

"Hey Hermione."

"Oh, hi Harry," Hermione lightly greeted Harry, trying her best to look perfectly fine. While she knew Ron was still upset at her – and rightly so – she hadn't thought he'd actually skip a meal just to avoid her. Trying to distract her thoughts, she attempted to join in on Lavender's conversation with Parvati, but there was only so much of their giggling over Harry she could take. While she agreed Harry was very handsome, she couldn't really see him as anything but the small, awkward boy she'd met way back in first year, who, over the years, had become like a brother to her. In fact, she was often becoming indignant on behalf of Harry, who probably didn't even know that the conversations of most, if not all, of the DA members once their lessons had ended were always about him, whether he was there or not.

Harry, despite all his experiences and power, was still very much naïve and innocent, and Hermione didn't want anyone to ruin that. Harry was truly remarkable that way – even with all the horrors that he'd seen and endured, his heart was still the biggest she'd known. But now, thanks to Harry's rather dramatically changed appearance, Hermione knew Harry would be more than just Voldemort's target in the coming school year. And the last thing Hermione wanted was for someone to take advantage of Harry's sweet and forgiving nature. It was one of the reasons why she was glad that Cho's family had decided to go on a vacation before she attended her last year at Hogwarts – Hermione had seen how Cho had looked at Harry during the first summer DA meeting, despite Michael's fuming presence. While Harry was over Cho, Hermione also knew that he felt bad over what had happened between them. What he would see as a hand in friendship wouldn't necessarily be what she would suggest, and that, Hermione knew, would inevitably lead to yet another disaster.

Fortunately, Harry's busy schedule prevented him from spending much time with anyone outside of his Circle. Her scowling presence probably helped as well – her reputation as the smartest witch in their year wasn't undeserved, after all. Still, she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him all the time once school started – she resolved to talk to Harry about it, and soon.

Hermione sighed when she heard them gossip over Draco Malfoy next – honestly, was it any wonder she wasn't really close to any of the girls in Gryffindor except for Ginny?

Thinking Hermione's sigh was because of Ron, Harry tried to cheer her up. / _He'll get over it, Hermione. You know he will. _/

Hermione leaned into the mental hug and once again thanked whoever it was that had allowed her to meet her two best friends. She just hoped that she hadn't irrevocably ruined it all. / _He seemed so angry and hurt, Harry, and I deserve it. What I did was wrong. _/

/ _So you made a mistake. Everyone makes those once in a while, Hermione, even you. Give him time, he'll come around. _/

/ _Do you really think so? _/

Grinning softly, Harry quipped/ _I'm a Magus, remember? I know so!_ /

Glad to see Hermione smile – however small it was – Harry heartily dug into his meal.

* * *

Ron debated over going down to the Great Hall to join them, but thought better of it. While he planned to talk to Hermione, he had no intention of doing so with everyone present. Mindcalling Harry to let him know he was going to go back to Headquarters, Ron hurriedly left the Room of Requirement to find a fireplace connected to the Floo Network – he was absolutely starving! 

However, when Ron tumbled out of the fireplace in the kitchen of the Order Headquarters, food was the last thing on his mind. The place had been completely destroyed! The ceiling had caved in and there were holes where walls used to be. Nothing in the kitchen had remained intact.

/ _Harry! Something's happened at Headquarters! The kitchen's in shambles! _/

Alarmed by the note of terror in his best mate's voice, Harry immediately alerted his Circle and hurriedly left the Great Hall. He was quickly followed by Hermione, McGonagall, and Snape while Dumbledore made excuses for them.

/ _We're on our way, Ron. Do you see anyone? _/

/ _There's too much debris – I can't see a thing! Harry, my mum… _/ Ron could not finish the thought.

/ _It'll be okay, Ron. We're coming. Hang on. _/

After what seemed like an eternity, Harry Apparated Hermione, Snape, and McGonagall right next to where the door to the kitchen used to be. Dumbledore, who had stopped by the hospital wing to pick up Madam Pomfrey, arrived with her via a Portkey.

As Hermione gently led a still stricken Ron out of the kitchen, Harry went to work, carefully lifting all the debris off the floor, along with Dumbledore and Snape. It hit Ron that this was the first time Harry had come to Grimmauld Place after Sirius's death. Ron wanted to ask Harry how he was doing, see if he could help him in any way, but he found himself unable get the words past the sudden constriction in his throat.

Harry could see that Mrs Figg was dead; her neck was bent at an unnatural angle. It seemed as though she had tried to protect Molly Weasley from harm. Carefully lifting her off the ground, Harry carried her out into the hallway, and after conjuring a sofa, gently laid her on it. It was the least he could do for the woman who had watched out for him for years.

Molly fortunately escaped with only a broken arm while both of Dung's legs were broken. They were both unconscious as well, suffering from minor concussions. Hestia Jones, however, hadn't been as lucky – she had been crushed by the ceiling, fracturing her ribs and one of them had pierced her lung. By the time they'd arrived, it had been too late.

The injured were quickly sent to St. Mungo's, along with Pomfrey, Ron, and Hermione. McGonagall returned to Hogwarts to inform the rest of the Weasleys, and to arrange a small funeral for Hestia and Arabella, who didn't have family to call their own. The rest remained behind, trying to piece together what had happened.

"Harry, what do you see?" Dumbledore's voice reflected the gravity of the situation, the twinkle in his eyes all but snuffed out.

Harry frowned and his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. It was always difficult trying to differentiate between various spells, especially if it was something he'd never seen before. "Whoever did this was young and definitely weak – the Killing Curses were nowhere near strong enough to kill."

"The question is, how did they get here? Even if the Dark Lord has spies within the Order – which is highly unlikely – none of them would have been able to tell him the location. If they themselves were going to act, surely they would have chosen a better time when more members would be present."

Harry interrupted Snape's musings. "Hang on – I think these traces mean Portkeys." Dumbledore looked up sharply at that. "Yeah, they match the one you used to get here, Albus. I see two traces – one definitely bears your magical signature, but the other one doesn't. It was activated here, but I can't determine the destination."

Dumbledore surveyed the ruined kitchen over his half-moon spectacles. There were only two Portkeys in existence that led to Grimmauld Place; all the others that bore his magical signature were keyed to his office at Hogwarts. And one of the two people who had the Portkey was now dead.

"There's nothing more we can do here. Severus, return to Hogwarts and help Minerva. And if you could prepare some Calming Draught? I'd imagine Irma and Pomona will need them soon if they don't already – they were very close to Hestia and Arabella. And Harry, try to fix what you can. I'll be at St. Mungo's – do let me know if you find out anything more."

* * *

Kieran opened his eyes and whooped in glee when he realized he'd returned home safe and sound. 

"We did it! Crabbe, I told you we'd get revenge! Wait 'til my father hears about this! He is going to be so proud!" He refused to acknowledge that for a while there, he'd been terrified out of his mind.

Crabbe, who knew better (after years of being trained by his parents and then Draco) than to point out that had they been faced with more Order members, they would have been caught, merely stated, "I'm hungry. You said you'd let me eat whatever I wanted when we got back."

Too happy and relieved to complain about Crabbe's rather one track mind, Kieran summoned a house-elf for Crabbe while he continued to boast about his brilliance. Crabbe just grunted every now and then and continued to stuff his face.

However, when Kieran gleefully said, "I can't wait to rub this in Lucius's face!" Crabbe paused in spearing the seventh sausage on his knife and looked up. Crabbe knew Draco's father, and though he wasn't the brightest of the bunch, like any other Slytherin, he had a healthy dose of survival instincts, which at the moment were telling him that sticking with Kieran about this would be one of the worst things he could do.

"I'd better go home."

Kieran, too busy imagining Lucius's torture at the Dark Lord's hands, waved Crabbe away, not noticing that the boy hadn't finished even half of what the house-elf had brought – an action so unlike Crabbe that had Kieran been paying attention, he would have known something was wrong. Fortunately for Crabbe, Kieran was too preoccupied with his victory, allowing Crabbe to hurriedly return home before Flooing immediately to Malfoy Manor.

* * *

By the time Dumbledore made his way to Molly's room at St. Mungo's, the entire Weasley clan (with the exception of Percy) was already gathered within the room. 

Mundungus Fletcher didn't know who the two attackers were, nor did he have any idea how they got there. He thought the two boys might have been the children of the Death Eaters who had been sent to Azkaban, but didn't know for sure. Dumbledore had his guesses as to whom the two boys were from their descriptions, but he refused to point fingers until he could be absolutely certain. It saddened him greatly to see such young boys on the way to darkness.

Dumbledore had found out from Harry that Arabella's Portkey hadn't been activated in days, which meant the Portkey they had used must have belonged to Molly. And there was only one reason why Molly would willingly hand over an Order Portkey – password and all – without informing him. After contacting Severus to find Percy Weasley, Dumbledore managed to muster up a smile for the Weasleys, even as he noted that Molly was missing her brooch. "I'm glad to see you're feeling alright, Molly. You had everyone scared for a while there."

"Thank you, Albus, but I'm fine. There's no need to fuss over me, really. But tell me, is everyone else alright?"

"Mundungus is back to his old self, but I'm afraid Hestia and Arabella were killed."

Molly, who had been bustling about, getting ready to leave, abruptly sat back down on the bed again. "Oh dear, this is all my fault. Arabella didn't want to come by, you see – one of her cats wasn't feeling well, but I-"

"Molly, my dear, it's not your fault. You didn't know this was going to happen," Arthur reassured her.

"He's right, mum. You can't blame yourself for what the stinking Death Eaters did. Professor, do you know who they were?"

"I am afraid not, Mr Weasley. But I do have a question to ask you, Molly. Where exactly is your brooch?"

Molly glanced at her family before turning to face Dumbledore again. "I know you won't approve, but I gave the Portkey to Percy, Albus, so that he could come over tomorrow for lunch." She glared at her children to silence their complaints. "Percy owled me today to ask me to meet with him at the Leaky Cauldron. You will all greet him with open arms – Percy is your brother and he is sorry."

Dumbledore interrupted Ginny who had been about to protest. "Did Percy ask you for the Portkey?"

"No, he didn't even know we were staying at Headquarters. Why, what's going on, Albus?" Molly asked, worried at the line of questioning.

"We found traces of two activated Portkeys – one was used to get to Headquarters, and the other was used to leave. I'm afraid it was your Portkey they used."

"What?" Molly paled and reached for Arthur's hand. Ron growled in anger.

"I bet he did this on purpose, the bastard! Oh, don't look at me like that – you're all thinking it too! Out of all of us here, Percy's always been the one who was the most self-important. He's always wanted power for his own, and he turned his back on us to get just that. Certainly didn't take him long to turn his back on the side of Light, either, did it? You-Know-Who probably bribed Percy with an offer to be his arse-licker and since he's lost his job at the Ministry, the sod probably jumped at the chance!"

"Ron! Language! I won't have you talk about your brother this way! Albus, you must be wrong – Percy isn't Dark. There has to be another explanation."

Before the clamouring could start, Dumbledore raised his hands to silence them. "I am not suggesting that Percy is Dark – if you met at the Leaky Cauldron, he could have lost the Portkey while leaving the crowded pub, or someone could very well have taken it from him. But I suspect, since they knew the password to activate the Portkey, that your conversation was overheard by someone with less-than-good intentions. I've sent Severus to find Percy, so he'll be at Hogwarts shortly – we will know more then."

"So it really is my fault. No, Arthur," Molly said as Arthur tried to disagree, her voice breaking. "Arabella and Hestia died because of my carelessness. I -- I never even thought to consider that my conversation with Percy might be overheard. I was just so happy to finally have Percy back that I… I should have been more careful! Oh Arthur, my thoughtlessness has cost them their very lives!"

As Molly sobbed into Arthur's chest, the rest of the Weasleys surrounded the bed and tried to comfort their grief-stricken mother. Dumbledore looked at them all sadly before he quietly left the room.

* * *

Severus Snape snarled in anger as he Disapparated from the Ministry of Magic. Oh, how he hated bureaucrats with a passion! The Ministry of Magic had never been his favourite place in the world, but he swore that it had gotten worse over time. If he could have gotten away with it, he would have cursed the living daylights out of that self-important records clerk! He just might have regardless, if he'd had to stay there any longer. 

Leaving the deserted alley, Snape made his way to one of the worst parts of London. He didn't know why that know-it-all Weasley lived here, but he wasn't about to dally about. Snape doubted the boy was responsible for that attack, but he could just picture what had happened. His insufferable mother probably gave him her Portkey, to invite him over for dinner or some such nonsense, and he'd likely boasted about it. No doubt some kids overheard and decided to prove themselves to the Dark Lord. Really, the only ones in that family who had any sense at all were Bill and Charlie – and maybe the twins. Snape may have detested them but that didn't mean he didn't recognize their brilliance.

Snape nudged the partially open door with his foot. "Weasley?" he called out, not wanting to stay there any longer than he had to. Honestly, what was that boy thinking, living in a place like this? Surely his family could afford a better place now!

Snape scowl turned into a wicked smirk when he found Percy asleep on the bed. Casting a Sonorus Charm on himself, Snape hollered, "WEASLEY!"

Percy, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up with such a start that he fell off the bed with a resounding thud, to Snape's utter delight.

Percy reached for his glasses on the table and perched it on his nose. "Professor Snape? Wha-? You're trespassing on private property!"

Snape made a show of glancing around the tiny bedroom, his disgust plainly visible on his face. Percy flushed, embarrassed and angry at being caught living so poorly from his ungraceful sprawl on the floor.

"Well? Explain yourself before I summon the Aurors here to arrest you!" Percy stated pompously, picking himself up and looking straight at his former professor. He reminded himself that Snape had no authority over him anymore.

"You're in a lot of trouble, Weasley – two Order members were killed by your actions, and Dumbledore as well as the Ministry have summoned you. You will be coming with me."

Percy paled instantly, but before he could say anything in his defence, Snape grabbed him and activated the Portkey.

* * *

Narcissa and Lucius had been chatting quietly when they were interrupted by the arrival of Crabbe, who was shown into the room by Woolly, their house-elf. 

"Vincent, what a pleasant surprise. How are you, my dear? Would you like something to eat? Woolly, bring us some tea and cakes." Narcissa led a fidgety Crabbe to a seat, exchanging a look with Lucius. Crabbe might be thick, but even he wasn't dim enough to not remember that Draco wasn't at the Manor. Narcissa had a feeling this had something to do with Kieran's earlier visit.

Surprisingly, Crabbe declined the offer of food – which, as far as either of the Malfoys knew, had never happened before. "Vincent, are you alright?"

"Narcissa, give the boy some room," Lucius chided lightly. "What is it, Vincent?"

Crabbe scrutinized both of the Malfoys sitting across from him before replying. "It's Kieran Macnair. He said we were going to get revenge against our parents' imprisonment and stole a Portkey from a Weasley that led us somewhere. There were four people there and we just started casting spells. I don't know what happened to them – we left before I could see. Kieran brought us to his home and I came here right after. You know my family is already in trouble with the Dark Lord. I don't want to get my parents into any more trouble just because Kieran wants to get even with you, Mr Malfoy." At the look he received from Malfoy Sr., Crabbe elaborated. "Kieran mentioned you."

"Did he?" asked Lucius, his tone cool and succinct, his smile becoming more shark-like. "Well, thank you, Vincent. Run along home, now. I'm sure your mother's already worried about you. And don't worry – I'll care of it."

"I knew you would. Thanks, Mr Malfoy."

Smiling rather tightly at the relieved expression on Crabbe's face, Narcissa held out Woolly's chocolate cake. "Take this with you, Vincent. I'm afraid with Draco gone, there's just too much food lying around the Manor. Besides, a growing boy like you needs to eat! Give your mother my regards, hmm?"

"I will, Mrs Malfoy."

Narcissa immediately fire-called Hogwarts once Crabbe's large form disappeared from the fireplace. "Hello? Is anyone -- oh, Professor McGonagall. I've just been informed that there's been an attack at the Order Headquarters."

Lucius paced, willing his wife to hurry and get the pertinent information. They didn't have much time – if Kieran's found a way to contact the Dark Lord...

Narcissa rose from the floor moments later, carefully brushing soot off her robes. "Two dead – a Squib and a witch. According to McGonagall, they died from having been crushed by the debris, not by curses."

Lucius nodded. "Well, that's something, at least. Hopefully I can paint this as a loss rather than a victory to the Dark Lord."

* * *

Harry exhaled sharply, having finished fixing the kitchen at last after creating Anti-Portkey wards around Headquarters – just in case the attackers decided to return. There was a nasty surprise planned for them thanks to several of the Weasley twins' inventions – Lee Jordan, who had been left to mind the store while the twins were at St. Mungo's, had been more than happy to supply Harry with whatever he wanted, including a few of the items the twins had been developing. They weren't perfected yet, which made it all the better in catching the intruders since the untested Wheezes often carried interesting side-effects. Harry was really impressed with the twins' latest inventions, which seemed to contain many of the spells that they had learned in DA. 

It was only as Harry stood, staring at the newly fixed kitchen that he realized he was actually at Grimmauld Place. Unbidden memories assaulted his senses and Harry found himself having trouble remaining upright. Taking deep and calming breaths, Harry tried to rein in his desire to flee. He wanted to think about Sirius and remember the good things, feelings of a family and of being loved, instead of seeing the look of fear and surprise on his godfather's face as he fell through the veil. He wanted to think about Sirius without the overwhelming sense of guilt, without the pain. He knew he would eventually have to face it all if he wanted to rest without nightly interference from Dumbledore. It might as well be now since he was already here.

Harry wandered from room to room, up and down the floors, letting memories of his brief time with Sirius wash over him. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black had actually been cleaned up rather nicely, and it had lost much of the haunted and abandoned look that used to permeate the entire place. Harry knew Sirius would have heartily approved.

Harry returned to the Entrance Hall and stood in front of the moth-eaten velvet curtains that hid the life-sized portrait of Sirius's mother. He didn't know if she knew her son had been killed or not, or if she'd actually care, but he thought she should know regardless. Pulling back the curtains to reveal the portrait, Harry braced himself to be yelled at. He wasn't disappointed.

"STRAINS OF DISHONOUR, FILTHY HALF-" she screeched, before finding herself unable to utter a sound. Harry smiled and waved jauntily at Mrs Black, once again thanking the usefulness of Wild Magic.

"I wanted to let you know that Sirius -- that he's dead. He died fighting the Death Eaters, trying to protect me; he died as a hero. I just thought you should know, even if you hated everything he stood for."

Harry honestly thought he'd see some pain, some semblance of regret on the yellowing skin, but all he could see was triumph and glee. How a mother could hate her own son so much, Harry didn't know or understand. "He was your _son!_ How could you be happy about this? How could you not care?"

The portrait stared back at him hatefully, as if he were a bug not worthy to gaze upon her. _She's glad that Sirius is dead! She's a pureblood and yet she'd rather he be dead than have the family line continue!_ Angry and hurt for Sirius who had a hateful and uncaring mother for a family, Harry bit out, "You should know, Sirius made me his heir before he died. I inherited everything, including this house – me, a half-blood. In the eyes of the law, I'm the heir to the Black family and fortune. And I'm going to do everything I can to further the cause for Muggle-borns, half-bloods and magical creatures everywhere on behalf of the Black family. The wizarding world will know that the last act of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was one of Light, looking down upon pure-blood superiority, even if it's the last thing I do." Then smiling at the portrait that appeared to be swearing and screaming at him, he swung the curtains shut and made sure it couldn't ever be opened again. He thought it was a fitting punishment for Mrs Black – now, she'd have to live with the thought that her House would forever be 'tainted'. Harry reminded himself to ask Dumbledore about using Wild Magic to move the portrait to someplace less obtrusive in the house.

"That was rather Slytherin of you, young Magus," a cool voice interrupted his thoughts. Harry turned and saw Phineas Nigellus in the portrait of another Black ancestor who was stomping away in anger at having been invaded.

"Headmaster Nigellus," Harry greeted politely. While he and Phineas Nigellus hadn't really spoken after the debacle at Dumbledore's office at the end of his fifth year, he had come to respect the man for actually having cared about Sirius, despite his earlier claims. After the distressing 'conversation' with Sirius's mother, it helped that at least one member of the Black family cared about the fact that his godfather was no longer living.

Phineas Nigellus examined him from head to toe, as if re-evaluating his worth. Harry refused to fidget and stood straight, allowing Phineas to find whatever he was looking for. He was no longer the same boy that had thrown a tantrum – however justified it was – in Dumbledore's office months before, and he intended to prove to Phineas that he had grown up and thus deserved respect from the man.

"Do you think you're more important now?" Phineas said, his eyes narrowing. "Still mourning the loss of my worthless great-great-grandson, I see."

Harry's eyes flashed in anger. "Sirius wasn't worthless! He was my godfather and he loved me!"

"Yes, and now he's dead. He got himself killed by being careless – no true Black would have been stupid enough to let himself get pushed into the veil."

"I thought you cared about Sirius!" yelled Harry, furious and hurt at the same time. What happened to the man who had refused to believe that his great-great-grandson was dead?

Phineas coolly stared him down. "You're a weak-minded emotional fool if you're still grieving for that no good idiot!"

When no response was forthcoming from Harry (who was too busy restraining himself), Phineas sighed as if put upon. "Of course, you're a child – I suppose such things can't be helped."

Harry began to climb up the stairs, clenching his fists so he wouldn't do anything to the portrait. Phineas rolled his eyes and spoke louder, getting Harry's attention despite all his efforts to tune him out. "You don't honour the dead by doing nothing but mourning their loss. You go on and life continues as if they'd never been there in the first place. But you know because you're doing everything you can to make them proud of you, to honour their memory and what they have sacrificed so that you could be here. That is how you truly show that you care, you dolt, not blubber about as if everyone else should share your pain."

Harry, who had stopped halfway up the staircase, turned back around to face the portrait. He looked at Phineas, and something akin to an understanding passed between them. Inclining his head at Phineas, Harry headed back up the stairs and Phineas Nigellus left the nameless ancestor's portrait to head back to his frame at Hogwarts.

* * *

"Master, I bring you bad news. Kieran Macnair, instead of abiding by your wisdom, has acted foolishly and brought about an even greater consequence than I could have imagined, my Lord. I beg you to forgive your servant for his lax vigilance." Lucius prostrated himself further, swallowing back the bile that immediately rose in his throat. He reminded himself that the lives of his wife and son, as well as his own, depended on him convincing the Dark Lord of his loyalty as well as his utter obedience. 

"What has happened, Lucius? What has that boy done?"

"He has wasted a way for my Lord to eliminate the fool Dumbledore and Potter brat once and for all. Instead of informing your dedicated servant that he had found an Order Portkey, Kieran went ahead alone and attacked recklessly, unwittingly causing death to only a Squib and a pathetic witch no better than the Squib, master. The Minister has heard and has decided to increase surveillance and security in all Ministry buildings, including Azkaban. I will, of course, obtain the new security measures from Fudge, but the plan to free your servants from the prison will need to be delayed so as to not incur further suspicion from the Ministry, my Lord." The plans to place additional security measures around the Ministry buildings had been in talks for few weeks already, but it had not been made public yet. Lucius knew none of the Death Eaters were aware of the plans – thanks to the debacle at the Department of Mysteries, he was now the only one who still had excellent connections within the Ministry. Lucius just hoped the Dark Lord needed his connections more than the imprisoned Death Eaters.

Voldemort's red eyes flashed in anger and he tightened his hold on his yew wand. "Bring me the boy, Lucius. Bring him to me."

Lucius inwardly smiled in relief. "At once, master."


	13. Consequences Part 2

**iamtherealmaverick **– Yay! I'm glad. And I like my Lucius too! LOL. As for the fifth book being angsty… I liked it, actually. It showed that Harry isn't perfect, that he's a teenager going through a lot of things that most people don't ever get to experience, and the way he handled it reflected that beautifully, I thought.

**Iset** – Thank you! And you get a bit of Draco in this chapter – does that help? There will be a really good, angry, angsty, fairly decent length scene with Harry and Draco soon, I promise!

**hero** – You mean Kieran, right? Well, I still kinda feel sorry for him, though it'll all be for a good cause… And I'm glad you like it! And what do you mean by immature Harry? Do you mean from the scene with Nigellus? Cause I didn't mean to make Harry immature… though he is a sixteen year old boy – there has to be some immaturity for it to be realistic. Hmm… Will think on this…

**IvySnowe** – Yeah, I wanted to keep Mrs. Figg and Hestia alive too, but someone needed to die. And yes, Kieran will get what's coming to him. As for the Harry and Draco smutty goodness part… It's not going to happen for awhile. I'm sorry – don't hurt me! It's just that there was five years of hatred between them, and I don't realistically see them suddenly jumping each other. It will happen, I promise, though the smutty scene won't be written or posted since I can't on And it's so good to hear that at least one Harry/Draco fan is still reading this!

**dihall** – I'm glad you liked them! And Molly will face the consequences of her actions soon enough. As for H/D – it's coming? Ducks to avoid the rotten tomatoes.

**B. M. Gray **– I'm so glad you liked it! And I have high standards? So completely flattered! And I'm glad you like Phineas! He's what I like to call "Severus without the particular Potter-hating tendencies"… LOL. I'm glad he reminds you of you, cause I loved writing him. He'll make frequent appearances in future chapters too! And I find psychology fascinating as well – I actually have a minor in it! Not that that makes me an expert on human condition or anything… Anyway, as for Molly needing counselling – she won't be seeing a counsellor, though she will talk about it (eventually). As for Percy – he wasn't exactly my favourite character either, but yes, I do plan to redeem him. Not that he'll ever completely lose his pompousness, so he'll likely remain your least-favourite character. And as for Kieran… you'll see in this chapter.

**murdrax** – Not quite. More details will actually come up in the future chapter though. That's all I'm going to say about it! I refuse to spill those particular details! But it will happen soon.

**sweetteetwo** – Thanks!

**Marikili68** – Glad you like it. Thank you so much!

* * *

I have over **100 reviews**! So excited! 

Anyway, hugs to my wonderful beta Abbey (On-A-Rainy-Day)! Enjoy and don't forget to review!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Consequences Part II**

Percy landed heavily on the carpeted floor of the Headmaster's office. It just wasn't his day today – though really, it hadn't been his day in weeks. He righted his glasses before they fell off his face and stood up, all the while glaring at Snape, who had no difficulty at all in retaining his balance while travelling with a Portkey. It was times like these when Percy wondered if there was any truth to the rumours that Snape was part vampire.

Dismayed at his state of undress – he was still in his pyjamas, for Merlin's sake! – he decided to forgo the niceties and the worry Snape's comment had caused him for the moment. While Percy wasn't exactly the type to throw a tantrum and have a row, he didn't like being at one of the last places he wanted to be, particularly when he was quite literally dragged to said place by a former Death Eater.

"Now, see here! There was no reason to manhandle me! I've done nothing wrong! And how dare you presume-"

Percy was just beginning to work himself up into a righteous frenzy when Dumbledore suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Ah, Mr Weasley. Please, have a seat. Thank you, Severus." At Dumbledore's nod Snape shot Percy a contemptuous glare before leaving the office.

"Mr Weasley, I'm certain the chair will not bite you. Please, sit down. Would you like a sherbet lemon, or perhaps some tea?"

Percy shook his head as he reluctantly sat down in the comfortable chair across from Dumbledore's desk. Percy hadn't seen Dumbledore since the older wizard had escaped from the Ministry in this very office months ago, and considering everything he'd done and said to the greatest wizard alive, Percy was understandably feeling cowed. As Dumbledore continued to quietly sip his tea, Percy fidgeted, feeling like a recalcitrant student who had been sent to the Headmaster's office for punishment – something he was proud to say he had never experienced during his seven years at Hogwarts.

Percy was loathed to interrupt Dumbledore since the man seemed content to simply sit there drinking his tea, but he couldn't take much more of this.

"Professor Dumbledore, may I ask why I am here?" Percy refused to admit that his voice had cracked, as if he was going through puberty all over again.

Dumbledore gently set the tea cup back down on the tray before leaning back into the high back of his chair and regarding him thoughtfully. Percy wasn't sure what Dumbledore was looking for – an apology, perhaps? While Percy did regret all the bad things he'd said about Dumbledore, he wasn't about to apologize for siding with the Ministry. Based on the information given, he'd made the best choice he could, and he still believed that. Everyone knew Dumbledore was off his rocker, so to speak, and he'd never really liked Potter – the boy was a troublemaker and used his fame to get his way. Just because they'd ended up being right didn't say a thing about their character.

Percy was broken out of his thoughts when Dumbledore leant forward and steepled his hands on top of the desk. Percy focused on those hands instead – a cowardly act to be sure, but it was much better than looking at Dumbledore's eyes, which would make him even more nervous since he knew without a doubt that there would not be any traces of those damned twinkles.

"Mr Weasley, after you met your mother and left the pub, did you still have the Order Portkey in your possession?"

Percy started at that. He really should have expected his mother to tell Dumbledore of their meeting – after all, the Portkey did lead to their Headquarters. Still, Percy felt indignant at the implication of the question. Frowning, Percy replied, "Yes, of course. It was an important artefact – I wouldn't lose something like that. In fact, it's sitting on my living room table right now."

"Is it? Hmm…" Dumbledore called for Fawkes and scribbled out a letter to the Weasleys while mindcalling Harry to check Percy's flat. He attached the letter to Fawkes and watched him disappear in a burst of flames. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore heated up the tea again and poured himself another cup while reaching over to read the correspondences that had arrived for him while he'd been gone from his office. Dumbledore could see that Percy's exasperation was quickly overcoming his nervousness and inwardly smiled. Just a few more seconds…

Just as Percy was opening his mouth to undoubtedly order Dumbledore to tell him what was going on, Harry knocked on the door and entered the office.

A gasp was heard, then, "Potter?"

* * *

Draco sat, carefully stirring the cauldrons filled with the Calming Draught Snape had asked him to finish. It was boring and tedious work, something he would normally have balked at, but since he was going to be well compensated for it, Draco decided to put in the effort to make sure they turned out as well as if a Potions Master was to make them. 

A triumphant smirk appeared on his face as he remembered what Snape had agreed to give him to ensure his brewing cooperation – one hundred points for Slytherin, the title of Quidditch Captain (not that there had ever been a doubt of his being made captain), an unlimited pass to the Restricted Section of the library (Granger was going to have a fit), and private Animagus lessons.

His father had never bothered to attempt an Animagus transformation because as a Malfoy, he didn't believe in hiding his presence from others; plus, Transfiguration wasn't exactly his strong suit. And while admittedly Draco wasn't much better at Transfigurations than his father, his abilities as a scanner would make things much easier for him. According to everything he'd read so far, his spellwork would get easier as his scanning abilities improved – he couldn't wait to try his skills against Granger this year.

Draco was pouring the last of the Calming Draught into the glass vials when Snape returned.

"I'm finished, Professor."

Snape eyed the vials approvingly. "Excellent work, Mr Malfoy, as usual."

It truly was a shame Draco had no intentions of becoming a Potions Master, Snape thought as he admired the perfect viscosity of the iridescent liquid – he certainly had the gift for it. The exact art of potion-making was very difficult to master – some, like Lucius Malfoy, were good at it, but they didn't have the necessary instinct that the truly renowned Potions Masters, such as himself, had. Still, Snape was aware that even if Draco chose to be certified, it would only be to further his name, not because he truly enjoyed the work. Of course, that was ultimately what had happened with him.

Snape had never wanted to pursue potions and had never once considered Potions Master as his career. While he'd been immensely talented to be sure, his interests by far had laid with the Dark Arts. Unfortunately, due to his regretful mistake of becoming a Death Eater, his options had been very limited, even after Dumbledore had vouched for him. The only other thing he'd been good at was brewing potions; still, even after he'd studied for years to be a Potions Master – and arguably, one of the best – his skills were rarely sought out. He supposed his rather unpleasant demeanour combined with his unsavoury reputation were a deadly combination. Thankfully, Dumbledore's job offer had saved him from being cast out onto the street. Snape owed the man his life many times over, and there truly was nothing he wouldn't ever do for Albus Dumbledore.

As Draco began to clean up, Snape was suddenly struck with a thought. The boy's abilities as a scanner could possibly be the reason why the lad was so good at brewing potions – after all, the ingredients were all magical. It was entirely possible that Draco was able to somehow detect which ingredients went well together and which should be avoided at all costs. Perhaps he could even realize the circumstances when the most volatile of ingredients can be mixed to create potions that the world had never before seen. The idea made Snape's head positively swim with delightful possibilities.

"Draco, I have another proposition for you…"

* * *

Lucius Malfoy's grin was positively feral as he stood outside the door of the Macnair home. He had never liked Kieran – there was far too much of a Gryffindor in him to be of any use, and he was as incompetent as a Hufflepuff. Lucius was doing Walden Macnair a favour, really, by undertaking this task – now, Walden could start over and sire himself a worthier heir. 

When Kieran himself opened the door, grumbling under his breath about the uselessness of house-elves and paling rather comically when he spotted the older wizard, Lucius didn't think the day could get any better.

"Hello, Kieran. Such a lovely night, isn't it? May I come in?"

Lucius's sickly-sweet tone had Kieran scrambling to shut the door in his face, but he was no match for a Malfoy on a mission.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… Where are your manners?" Lucius chastised, his wand pressed tightly against Kieran's Adam's apple. Seeing the terror in the boy's wide-opened eyes, Lucius smiled chillingly. "Won't you invite me in, Kieran?"

Kieran gulped in fear, acutely feeling the pressure from the wand. Too terrified to speak, knowing he was likely to scream were he to open his mouth, Kieran instead forced his body to move back and allow Malfoy entrance into his home.

"How kind of you. Shall we take this into the sitting room?" Lucius asked as he spelled the door closed.

As soon as they crossed the threshold into the parlour, Lucius warded the room, and added a silencing charm for good measure.

"We don't want any unwanted interruptions now, do we?"

Kieran closed his eyes resignedly. He was unarmed and alone, with no other means of getting help. Still, he wasn't about to go without a fight – even if it were just verbal.

"So this is what the great Lucius Malfoy has to resort to. Does the Dark Lord know that you're terrified to let anyone discover that a seventeen year old has done something you could not? Or even better – that you threw away a perfect opportunity because you refused to listen to me?"

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "Kieran, it seems as though fear has addled your brain. You're not quite grasping the situation. You-"

"Oh no, I understand the situation perfectly well," Kieran said, interrupting Lucius. "Besides, I doubt it really matters what I do – you're going to torture me anyway. Might as well get my kicks while I still can."

Lucius looked at Kieran thoughtfully. Perhaps Kieran had some potential after all. Too bad it wouldn't do him any good anymore.

"Rather admirable of you. Well then, shall we get on with it? _Crucio!_"

Kieran screamed.

* * *

Hermione stood helplessly by the doors as Bill and Charlie rushed out to head back to Grimmauld Place to get everything prepared for their mum's return. She had been standing outside the room for the last hour or so, unwilling to interrupt them, but now, it appeared as though they were leaving. As she debated on what to do, Mrs Weasley was guided out of her hospital room by her husband and the rest of their children. She was sandwiched between Mr Weasley and Ginny, the former supporting her while the latter held tightly onto her hand. Fred and George followed, their expressions cold, something Hermione didn't think she'd ever seen before. She hadn't realized how much she had been looking forward to their cheery nature and antics to lighten up the atmosphere until it was missing. 

Ron looked helpless, angry, and frustrated, all at the same time. He looked like a lost little boy, and Hermione had to stop herself from reaching out and engulfing him in a hug. She didn't want to be a bother, an additional burden, and she hated feeling like she didn't belong there. Because she did – or at least, she had, until she ruined it all by acting like a nosy, stupid, sentimental girl she would never have thought she was.

Sighing, Hermione was about to return to Hogwarts when Ron turned and spotted her. The look upon his face was utterly heartbreaking. Her hand unwittingly reached for his, and when Ron didn't object, she grasped his hand tightly, offering him her support. Hermione tried to convey to him that no matter what happened between them, she would always be there for him. And then the most marvellous thing happened – Ron mindspoke to her. / _Hermione?_ / he said, his voice breaking.

It was all just too much for Hermione to resist. / _Shh. It's going to be alright, you'll see. Everything's going to be okay,_ / Hermione replied as she engulfed him in a tight hug, letting him rely on her. _It has to be. It just has to.

* * *

_

Narcissa sat regally in a cozy armchair, sipping her tea, as Bellatrix glared at her from her position on the wall.

"Oh look, Bella, wouldn't that robe look marvellous on Draco? He has such fair skin, you know. You might not remember, what with being away for most of his life, but he looks a lot like Lucius. He's such a handsome boy."

Bellatrix spat out what looked to be very foul comments, though due to the Silencing Charm on her, Narcissa didn't hear a word.

"I'm so glad you agree. I'll be sure to get this then for Draco before he starts Hogwarts again. He's in his sixth year there, you know. You might not be able to recall, what with losing most of your mind from being in Azkaban."

Narcissa continued to flip the pages of the magazine, ignoring Bellatrix's tugs at the chains. "Oh, look, it's a new broomstick model. Draco's an amazing flyer, and a huge fan of Quidditch. I'll have to make sure he gets the newest model – I'm sure he'll make Captain of his team this year. He's in Slytherin, Bella, just in case you didn't hear from the other Death Eaters while grovelling at the Dark Lord's feet."

As Bellatrix's tugs became wilder, Narcissa sipped the last of her tea before vanishing it all to the kitchens. She calmly stood in front of thrashing Bellatrix, watching her tire herself out.

"Yes, I absolutely agree that you've been a horrible aunt to your darling nephew and an even worse sister to me. I'll be sure to send him a letter with your apologies – I'm sure he'll forgive you. Of course, I can't say the same thing for me." Narcissa's polite smile turned frigid as she raised her wand. "_Crucio!_"

* * *

Bill and Charlie looked at the immaculate kitchen in relief. They knew that the demolished kitchen was being fixed, but hadn't thought it would be finished quite so soon. They had come to Grimmauld Place as quickly as they could to help, knowing their mum would insist on cooking them all something soon enough. It was her form of therapy, after all. 

They had just been about to head upstairs to make sure the room was all ready when Fawkes appeared in front of them, bearing a letter from Dumbledore. Bill had barely taken it off before Fawkes disappeared in a burst of flame.

Charlie watched Bill's face grow stormy reading it, and his stomach clenched in fear and unease as his mind conjured up scenario after scenario of horrible events that could have occurred. Finally, when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, Bill thrust the letter in his direction.

"Percy's with Dumbledore now. He thinks it would be best if Percy stays with us for awhile."

"What?" Charlie cried out and snatched the letter from his brother's hand. Quickly skimming the letter, his expression turned thunderous as he finished. "He can't be serious! After what just happened?"

"This isn't Percy's fault, and Headquarters doesn't belong to us. We can't refuse him. Besides, there's probably a good reason why Dumbledore believes this is the best place for Percy."

Charlie fumed. "He might not have caused this directly, but he started the whole mess in the first place. If he'd only listened, none of this would have happened, and you know it."

Bill sighed. "There's no point discussing this now – mum's coming soon. We'll deal with this after she goes to bed. I'm sure Dumbledore will grant us that much."

Charlie folded up the letter and placed it in the pocket of his trousers. Dumbledore may have had good intentions, but the matter involving Percy was a Weasley family matter, and they needed to solve this in their own way. Planning to speak to the Headmaster later, Charlie helped Bill prepare some tea before following him upstairs to check over their parents' room.

* * *

Lucius arrived with Kieran at the foot of the Dark Lord's throne. He bowed before the monster and rose when commanded to do so. 

"Master, Kieran Macnair, as you've asked."

Voldemort looked at Kieran's broken and bleeding form. Kieran's brown eyes were staring at nothing in particular, empty of any recognition or coherence. He had clearly lost his mind.

Voldemort, while upset, was still impressed with Lucius at his initiative. Kieran had clearly been driven insane after being put under the Cruciatus for too long. Having missed out on the magnificent torture Bellatrix had performed on the Longbottoms, it was wonderful to finally see the result. Muggles never lasted long enough to lose their minds and any wizards or witches he had captured were needed. Still, perhaps he should switch his torture tactics…

"Lucius? Explain yourself."

"My lord, Kieran was most resistant. I had to subdue him. But the torture -- it was marvellous, master. I could not control myself. Forgive me."

Voldemort laughed. "Rise, Lucius. You have pleased me greatly. You won't be punished – this time. But don't take such liberties with my orders again, or I won't be so lenient."

"Of course, my lord. Thank you, my lord."

As Lucius Apparated away from the Dark Lord's chambers, he saw the green light of the Killing Curse take what was left of Kieran.


	14. Mending Bridges

Hi everyone!

I am so sorry for the delay in updating – I wasn't at all happy with the chapter so I kept rewriting it. Between that, classes and having a good friend of mine spoil HBP for me... Anyway, I still haven't read the entire HBP yet (I know!) but I will, eventually, especially since I know the ending. -Suppresses the urge to wring her neck-

Oh! I've heard that FFnet has rules regarding replying to reviews in the thread… I'm not sure if that's true or not, so could someone please tell me? I don't want them to take my story off the net. I have backups, but I'd rather not repost under a different name or whatnot, and I certainly don't want to lose my lovely reviews! So I won't be replying to reviews – for now, at any rate. But I totally appreciate and adore the reviews so please keep them coming!

Huge thanks to Abbey for sticking with me through all the rewrites… You absolutely rock!

**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Mending Bridges**

"Hello Percy. You're going to catch flies, you know," Harry said as he entered Dumbledore's office, smiling at the look of utter shock that overcame Percy's normally pompous-looking face.

When Percy closed his mouth with a snap, looking both embarrassed and angry, Harry turned to Dumbledore, only to see his Mentor looking happy and relieved – for him, Harry realized with a jolt. It seemed as though some of what he had felt at Headquarters had seeped through their link.

The evening spent at Grimmauld Place, along with the conversation with Phineas Nigellus, had left Harry with a sense of… peace, almost. Harry wasn't sure what to call it, but he felt better than he had in a long while. He still missed his godfather terribly – he doubted that would ever change – but he no longer felt lost, like he'd fall to pieces with a mere mention of Sirius's name. Harry briefly wondered if this was what people meant by closure.

Smiling wistfully one last time at what could have been, Harry nodded respectfully at Dumbledore, conveying without words his thanks. He had no doubts that Phineas Nigellus had been sent there on Dumbledore's urging.

"So Harry, did you find the Portkey?"

Harry glanced at Percy before speaking. "No. There was nothing magical in the entire flat – except for this," Harry replied, pulling out the decrepit wand he had found at Percy's flat from the pocket of his trousers. "I assumed it was yours."

"Yes, Potter. Thank you." Percy's expression and voice were tight, as if it hurt saying those words to him.

"Did you need me for anything else, Al-- Professor? I wanted to go to St. Mungo's." Harry hoped Percy hadn't caught onto his near-stumble. It really wouldn't do to have others know that he'd begun to address his Professors so casually – things were difficult enough as it was without adding any unnecessary attention.

"Mundungus has already been released, and I believe the Weasleys have left as well. But you-"

"Were they hurt? What happened? Headmaster, I demand to know what is going on here!" Percy's anxious voice interrupted Dumbledore.

Dumbledore raised his hands in an attempt to calm him down.

"Mr Weasley, the Portkey that your mother gave you has been used to attack the Order Headquarters. Two of our members were hurt – including your mother – and two others have been killed."

Percy's face paled alarmingly. "I-- I didn't do anything! I swear, I would never…! You must believe me, Professor Dumbledore!"

"I do, Mr Weasley. However, I think it would be best if you didn't go back to your flat just yet."

"Well, where else would I-" realization hit Percy and he paled even further, to Harry's surprise – he hadn't thought that was possible. "I don't think that'd be a good idea, Professor Dumbledore. In fact, I think that's the worst idea I've ever heard."

Before Dumbledore could say a word, a sound very similar to a Muggle doorbell was heard and Charlie Weasley stepped out of the fireplace. "I believe that's the first time you and I agreed on something, Percy. Hello, _brother_ – it's been awhile."

* * *

Hermione was sitting on one of the sofas in the Grimmauld Place sitting room. The sitting room, though it had been fully cleaned and restored, was rather imposing and opulent, more of a museum rather than a comfortable room, and so wasn't occupied often. But while the kitchen now looked immaculate, Hermione hadn't wanted to stay down there, already having a difficult enough time forgetting the nightmare that she'd stumbled onto earlier in the evening.

Hermione shook herself from her thoughts and checked the clock on the wall – it was late. Molly had long since gone to bed with Ginny in tow – she had refused to be separated from her mum. Arthur had departed for the Ministry shortly thereafter to finish the work he'd skipped out on earlier, while the twins had gone back to their shop in Diagon Alley. Bill and Charlie had also disappeared as soon as Molly had gone upstairs. Ron had gone to bed shortly afterwards, exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster.

The entire house was silent, yet Hermione didn't feel lonely, nor did she find the atmosphere oppressive. In fact, Hermione had never felt better. The room was suffused with the fiery glow from the merrily crackling fire, and the warmth wrapped comfortingly around her, much like her favourite fleece blanket – though it was now relegated to her childhood box in the attic of her home. The blanket was threadbare now, but for years it had been her only solace, providing a barrier against the harsh reality before her Hogwarts letter. Being a "know-it-all" wasn't conducive to having friends, and with such busy parents, her only companions had been her books and her blanket. They had provided her with a world where she could escape and live amongst those who didn't ridicule her for her inquisitive nature and forthright honesty, who appreciated her thirst for knowledge, for however a brief period of time. But after her first year at Hogwarts, she had no longer needed it and thus had left her blanket behind. Her mother had been more than happy to pack it up and put it away – she had, after all, been after Hermione for years to just simply throw it away.

Hermione sighed tiredly, but refused to fall asleep, knowing she'd get nightmares – for awhile, at least. But that was only a part of the reason why she was awake. Things between her and Ron were better now – though not as comfortable as they were before – and Ron might need her tonight.

After the battle at the Department of Mysteries, Hermione had had trouble sleeping. One night, the nightmare had been so terrible that she couldn't stay in her bed any longer. She had thus quietly made her way into the kitchen, only to find Ron already there, his sleep also plagued by nightmares. They had sat awkwardly, until the silence between them became so thick that it was almost suffocating. Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, they'd found themselves voicing their fears, and by the time Molly had made her way downstairs to cook breakfast, Ron and Hermione had been smiling and laughing. The ritual had continued every night until their nightmares had eased. Hermione wasn't completely sure if the ritual would be repeated this time, but she wanted to be ready for it just in case. Hermione was not going to lose her best friend, and she wasn't going to let Ron go through this alone. She'd pledged to always be there for Ron, to always stand by him, and she had no intention of going back on her promise.

* * *

Perenelle Flamel knocked on Severus Snape's office door and opened it when she heard the brisk, "Enter!"

Perenelle paused when she spotted another wizard standing beside Snape. "Oh! I'm sorry – I didn't realize you were busy, Professor Snape. I can come back later."

"Professor Flamel! No, please, come in," Snape said, in a tone laced with what Draco thought might have been delight or excitement. As she further stepped into his dimly lit office, Draco stared in unabashed interest and Snape threw a scowl at his favourite student. "That'll do for tonight, Mr Malfoy. Come and see me tomorrow."

Acknowledging the blatant dismissal with a sharp grin, Draco said, "Of course. Professors," and with a respectful nod, Draco left Snape's office.

"I really didn't mean to interrupt."

"Oh, it's not a problem. Would you like something to drink, Professor Flamel?"

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I actually have a favour I wanted to ask of you. Shall we sit?"

"Of course. I would be more than happy to help if I can."

Perenelle glanced around the barely decorated office before exhaling. "I'm sure you're wondering how I am still alive, when the Philosopher's Stone no longer exists."

Snape flushed in embarrassment. "I must admit, I was, and am still, rather curious as to how you managed to survive when your husband did not."

"Believe me, Professor Snape, it was news to me as well – it was something I had not foreseen, though I should have suspected it. For years, I've researched the cause, but there's only so much I can do with my limited knowledge in these fields. That's why I need your help."

Snape frowned. "I am flattered, but you must know that my specialization lies in Potions, not Alchemy. Headmaster Dumbledore would be the better candidate, since he studied under your husband. He's the leading expert in the area."

Perenelle smiled a little. "Yes, that was one of the reasons why I accepted the teaching position. I knew Albus would help me if I only asked."

"Then why come to me?"

Perenelle stood and began to wander about, and her reluctance with the subject at hand was more than obvious. She paused before speaking, and Snape could see that she was choosing her words very carefully.

"More than three centuries ago, I was involved in an accident, when Nicholas was attempting to make a more potent Elixir of Life. The lab where he was working blew up, and the Elixir was subsequently absorbed into my bloodstream. The healers at St. Mungo's assured me that I suffered no ill-effects, and until a few years ago, I had thought the same.

"When I didn't pass away, I contacted Albus for help. But recent troubles in the wizarding world have put restrictions on his time, and my own efforts to reverse the effects have failed. That's why I've come to you. You are one of the best Potions Masters seen in ages."

Snape flushed at the compliment. Uncomfortable with such high praise from _the_ Perenelle Flamel, he said instead, "Most would not consider immortality to be an ill-effect."

"I've lived for over six centuries, Professor Snape – that's a very long time, particularly when you're alone." Perenelle sounded tired, and Snape felt an answering weariness in him.

Brushing the unwanted memories aside, Snape asked, "Am I correct in my assumption that I'll be Obliviated of all details pertaining to the Elixir of Life once you're -- cured?"

Perenelle's answer was firm. "Yes. The knowledge behind the Elixir is simply too dangerous to exist. I realize this is asking a lot of you-"

"I accept."

"-but -- I'm sorry. What?"

"I'll help you, Professor Flamel."

Perenelle sighed in relief. "Thank you, Professor Snape. Thank you."

* * *

Arthur Weasley rubbed his eyes, hoping to stave off the headache he could feel forming. The Ministry of Magic was quiet, most wizards and witches having left to go home hours ago. Normally Arthur would have joined them, but he needed to get away for awhile. Besides, there was always something that needed his attention.

He had almost finished reading the report from Kingsley Shacklebolt regarding the odd silence from You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters when a throat cleared. "Arthur?"

Startled, he almost knocked over the piles of parchment on his desk as he quickly rose from his seat, holding his wand. "Who's there?"

"Over here, Arthur. Sorry for startling you."

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Remus's head in the fireplace. "Remus. It's rather late – is something the matter?"

"Nothing's wrong, really. I just wanted to see how you were."

"Oh, I'm fine. Molly, on the other hand, is not. But she's sleeping, and I thought it best I get some work done while I still can. After the funeral tomorrow…" Arthur trailed off and Remus nodded in understanding.

Arthur sighed tiredly and grimaced at the clock on the wall that told him it was long past his bedtime. "I hate to rush you Remus, but…"

"I understand – I'll make it quick. I've gone over all the Muggle books I've recovered from the museum, and there's nothing of importance there. I've gone through them several times already, but all they contain are Muggle fairytales and other mythical stories. I really don't know what Voldemort could possibly be looking for."

Arthur, wincing at the name, frowned. "Have you told Albus?"

"Yes, though he's a bit busy at the moment. He asked me to inform you."

"Perhaps there are some parts that are hidden under a spell?"

Remus shook his head. "I've already checked for any signs of magic. But I can give it to Harry or even Draco – they might be able to discover something I've missed."

Arthur nodded. "I'm sorry, Remus, but I have to cut this short – I still have quite a bit of work to do."

"Of course. I'll leave you to it. See you tomorrow, Arthur."

* * *

Percy looked as though he would faint at any moment. As Charlie moved away from the fireplace, the fire turned brilliant green once again, and Bill gracefully stepped out.

"Headmaster, Harry." Bill nodded to each of them in turn. He didn't bother to turn around to look at Percy.

"Sherbet lemon?"

Bill and Charlie declined and sat down in the chairs when Dumbledore indicated they should sit. Percy clutched the arms of his chair so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He hadn't dared to look at either of his siblings yet.

"Headmaster," Bill began, "may I ask why it is necessary for Percy to stay at the Order Headquarters?"

"The location of your brother's flat is known to whomever it was that broke in to steal the Portkey in the first place. Since Headquarters is now warded against Portkey travel, they may decide to retaliate by attacking him. He will be safe there."

Charlie sighed. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, Professor, but you must see that for all the parties involved, it would be best for Percy to stay elsewhere. How about here, at Hogwarts? Even for a few days, at least, until we've had a chance to accustom ourselves to the idea."

"I'm afraid, Mr Weasley, that that isn't possible. This is a rather busy time for all the staff at Hogwarts. The students will be here soon – there are preparations to be made, and I cannot house someone who is not a student nor a member of the staff. Wounds tend to become festered if not treated, Mr Weasley. It is best to confront the issue head on rather than avoid it." Dumbledore gently smiled at them before arising from his seat. "Now, it is rather late, and way past my bedtime. Goodnight gentlemen."

Hearing the dismissal for what it was, Bill and Charlie Flooed back to Headquarters, followed by a reluctant Percy, who looked for all the world as if he were heading to his own execution.

* * *

"Wormtail!"

"Y-yes, master?"

"Have you found it?"

"N-no, m-ma-master. Pl-please, ma-"

"_Crucio!_"


	15. Ashes to Ashes

Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long – I kept tinkering with it as I wasn't quite satisfied… Anyway, thank you for all your reviews – hopefully you've received the replies! Thank you also to those who replied anonymously – I do appreciate your reviews, despite not being able to reply to them!

And before I forget… I had this idea a few months ago: I would write little ficlets with scenes from this story so far that I had cut out or didn't add for whatever reason. In any case, Abbey thought it might be too much to do, and I agreed. But I can't get rid of the little plot bunnies – for example, I have the scene of the shopping trip running around in my head. Anyway, the whole point of this babble was to say that I am taking requests – any scene, really, that you would like to see expanded. I plan to make a "deleted scenes" story, with each "chapter" featuring the requested scene. So request away! -excited grin-

Now, back to the new chapter! Abbey did beta-read this for me, but I've since re-written a few things, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Ashes to Ashes**

Percy tumbled out of the fireplace and landed heavily on his knees. Wincing at the pain, he carefully stood up and looked about, doing his best to ignore his two older siblings. Out of the corner of his eye, Percy could see the frown Charlie was sporting along with the intimidating stance he'd learned years ago from Bill. Though Charlie was shorter than Percy himself, no one could ever underestimate Charlie; working with the dragons had given him more muscles than even Bill had.

Bill, on the other hand, was already pulling up a chair to sit. He looked perfectly calm and at ease – if Percy didn't know any better he'd say Bill wasn't upset with him at all.

"Sit, Charlie. You too, Percy."

"I'd rather stand, thanks," Charlie said, not taking his eyes off of his younger brother.

Bill said in a voice that brooked no argument, "Sit. Down."

Percy obeyed immediately, to his utter chagrin – he'd thought he'd gotten over being pushed around by his older siblings. Clearly, he still needed to work on that. Charlie remained standing, though eventually he too conceded and sat down.

"Good. This isn't the time to argue about anything or place blame. Funeral's tomorrow – the last thing mum needs right now is us fighting amongst ourselves. So there will be no fights, arguments, or accusations regarding what happened tonight. I'm serious about this, Charlie," Bill said sternly, seeing that Charlie was going to object. "Mum's more important than any of this."

Charlie scowled, but gave a curt nod nonetheless. Bill looked straight at Percy, his clear blue gaze as cold and sharp as ice. Percy blanched, feeling as though Bill was looking straight through to his very soul and found it wanting.

"Let's get one thing straight, Percy. You're not forgiven – chances are you won't ever be. You betrayed us, and that's not something I-- _we_ are going to forget. But we have more important things to do than have it out with you. So here's what you're going to do, Percy." Bill rose from his chair and stood over Percy, invading Percy's personal space and forcing Percy to lean backwards. Percy's Adam's apple bobbled as he swallowed, his neck straining from the awkward angle and his body tense with nervousness and just a hint fear. "You're going to make yourself scarce. And I mean scarce, Percy – don't sit near us, don't talk to us, and take meals at different times. Keep to yourself and leave everyone alone. Got it?"

At Percy's weak nod, Bill headed up the stairs and Charlie followed, leaving Percy alone in the kitchen, his eyes staring miserably at the floor.

* * *

Harry appeared at the entrance hall of number twelve Grimmauld Place, quietly groaning at the eerie silence permeating the Order Headquarters. Clearly, Grimmauld Place wasn't much better than Hogwarts had been.

Although most of the staff at Hogwarts had not known Arabella Figg or Hestia Jones, Madam Pince and Professor Sprout had apparently been very close to the two Order members, and their deaths had hit them hard. The entire castle had been quiet, its silence broken only by sobs and murmurs of comfort. Seeing the jolly Herbology professor and the irritable librarian break down and cry had made Harry uncomfortable beyond words. Harry didn't deal with other people's emotions – especially sadness – too well, and their pain and despair had only served to remind Harry of all the losses he had suffered, something Harry could definitely do without. So Harry had fled to the Order Headquarters at the first opportunity; unfortunately, it looked as though he should have just stayed behind at Hogwarts.

Since no one was awake yet – and really, he wouldn't have been up at 4 o'clock in the morning either if he could have helped it – Harry dawdled in the entrance hall for awhile. Quickly getting bored, he began to remove the plaques of house-elf heads mounted on the wall, along with the portrait of Sirius's mother. Harry thought of Kreacher, whom no one had seen after the battle at the Department of Mysteries, but didn't dwell on that for too long – despite everything, Harry had yet to forgive the wretched house-elf for all he had done. Harry knew Hermione would scold him if she knew, but a part of Harry hoped Kreacher had gone and gotten himself killed for betraying his master.

Shaking his head to dispel those horrid thoughts, Harry decided to make his way to the kitchens to start breakfast for everyone when he spotted a familiar head of bushy brown hair peaking out from atop the sofa armrest in the sitting room. Wondering what Hermione was doing sleeping awkwardly on a sofa rather than in her comfortable bed, Harry quietly entered.

Hermione was fast asleep, tightly curled up on the sofa. There was a familiar warm red woollen blanket tucked carefully around her, and the fire in the fireplace was crackling merrily, consuming the fresh logs. Harry was loathed to wake her up, but a quick glance at his watch confirmed they had to get going soon – for some unfathomable reason, the dual wizarding funerals for Hestia Jones and Mrs Figg would begin as dawn approached.

"Hermione, wake up," Harry said quietly as he lightly shook her shoulders. When Hermione merely snuggled further into the sofa cushions, Harry began to tickle her feet instead. After a few jerks, Hermione fully awoke. "What-- _Harry? _What on earth are you doing?"

"Trying to wake you up. The funeral's today, remember?"

"Oh no, I completely forgot!"

With that, Hermione quickly scrambled off the sofa and ran up the stairs to the room she shared with Ginny, only to pop back out mere seconds later and run headfirst into the bathroom. Chuckling lightly, Harry extinguished the flames before heading towards the kitchen again when he spotted his best mate coming down the stairs.

"Morning, Ron."

Ron nodded at Harry and yawned hugely. Seeing the bags under Ron's eyes, Harry frowned.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

"A little. Had too much on my mind to rest, really," Ron reluctantly admitted.

"Too busy watching Hermione sleep?" Harry asked nonchalantly as he held up the red blanket, smiling as a blush heated up Ron's cheeks. Harry's smile widened when Ron quickly snatched the blanket from him and shrunk it before carefully putting it away in the pocket of his robe as though it was something priceless.

That was when Harry realized Ron was wearing a stylish new burgundy robe. Although Harry had never been to a funeral, let alone a wizarding one, he knew people always wore black clothes, to signify mourning. It was a sign of disrespect to wear something bright and rather flashy.

Just then, the twins, Bill, and Charlie made their way down. None of their robes were black either, though Harry could tell they were all formal wear – although Harry had a hard time telling the difference due to the awful matching puke green ones the twins were sporting. Harry wondered if black clothes were just a Muggle thing.

Before Harry could ask about wizarding funeral attire, George said, "Dad'll be meeting us there, but Hermione, Ginny, and mum should be down here soon."

Harry noticed that one member of the Weasley clan wasn't at all mentioned. "Where's Percy?"

Simultaneous bursts of "Percy?" and "What's that git doing here?" came from the twins and Ron.

Bill and Charlie exchanged a glance, before Charlie said quietly, "I think it might be best if he didn't come, Harry. It wouldn't be right."

Harry frowned. "It wasn't his fault, Charlie. Besides, I think Mrs Weasley might want him there."

Bill nudged Charlie to go look for Percy before turning to his younger brothers, who were all but ready to start shouting for an explanation. "Settle down. Dumbledore wanted Percy here to keep him safe from whoever attacked mum and everyone else last night. So I don't want to hear any complaints, alright? Percy'll stay out of our way – you just do the same. We're going to keep the peace here, for mum's sake, if for nothing else."

Any remarks the twins or Ron were about to make was interrupted when Percy, who was looking even more rumpled than he had had last night, appeared along with Charlie. Everyone remained silent as Percy set about Transfiguring his pyjamas into a shimmering dark blue robe.

Fortunately, before the silence became too awkward to bear, Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs Weasley came down the stairs. In her tan robe, Mrs Weasley looked even paler than usual, her exhaustion more than evident in the lines on her face. Ginny was staring at her mum in worry, though she gave Harry a weak grin at seeing him.

Seeing that no one else was wearing black – not even Hermione – Harry began to worry that he was attired inappropriately, though he was sure someone – especially Percy – would have mentioned it if he were. Before he could panic, thinking he had made some grave error in a wizarding custom, Hermione looked at him reassuringly, and Harry breathed out a sigh of relief. He was definitely going to look over some books on wizarding traditions later – it really was rather annoying not knowing much about the world in which he lived.

After Mrs Weasley fussed over their robes and hairs, they all took a hold of the roll of parchment Harry held out, and disappeared.

* * *

Harry was reminded of why he hated Portkey travel as he landed. Although Harry didn't crumble and fall, the feeling of being pulled along by the hook behind his navel was something Harry doubted he'd ever get used to. Besides, it brought on too many bad memories. Suppressing a shudder, Harry took a look around where they'd landed as he helped Ron and Hermione up from the ground.

Although the sky was still pitch black, the grounds itself were aglow, lighting the path as though it were day. Instead of detracting from the majesty of the night sky lit up with millions of stars, or from the splendour of the sun-kissed earth, the two combined to create something entirely new, something almost ethereal. The result, Harry found, was incredibly soothing.

Harry could see that the grounds weren't vast, like Hogwarts, though they were fair in size. Flowers of every type and colour – and some Harry hadn't even known existed – were scattered all over the place amidst the impossibly green grass and the tall trees. It felt very much like a national park Harry had seen on the telly once, before Dudley had changed the channel to watch cartoons. There was a small bright yellow cottage off to the side, but that was the only building Harry could see. The rest was just acres of land, mostly neat but mixed in with just a hint of the wildness of nature, to make it seem natural, rather than manufactured.

They made their way towards where Dumbledore, along with the rest of the Order, Madam Pince, and Professor Sprout, were waiting. There were large cylindrically-shaped, shiny white stones arranged in a big circle, and above each stone, there was an unlit candle floating in the air.

Once the quiet greetings were exchanged, along with hugs of comfort, they each sat on a white stone and Harry followed, glancing about uncertainly. The candles floated even higher, though they remained unlit. When the service didn't start, Harry wondered if it was because it wasn't dawn yet. To prevent himself from fidgeting, Harry held himself still and tried to look as though he knew what was going on.

As if following a cue, Dumbledore stood. He spoke quietly, but the silence allowed his words to be carried easily.

"_Per incendia, per terra, per aer, per unda, per extremum bonorum, per scelus sceleris, per vita, per nex, per animus, per veneficus, redimio is orbis!_"1

Suddenly, the glow from the ground was extinguished and the candles burst into flame. Harry could feel the magic in the air, rising and surrounding them all, and a half-sphere barrier of sorts was formed around the perimeter a few feet from where they all sat. Harry thought the barrier might be of a defensive nature, though he couldn't tell for sure.

Wondering what on earth was going on – this really wasn't at all like what Harry had imagined a funeral to be – Harry frowned. No one else seemed to be lost in the proceedings, and Harry felt a stab of irritation at his friends and mentors for not warning him or telling him anything beforehand.

The sky was still dark, although it was definitely lightening. Dumbledore waved his hands in a complicated sequence of moves, as though he was a conductor guiding his orchestra. Harry could see the different strands of magic being released as each sequence was completed, until Dumbledore stopped abruptly. The remains then appeared in the middle of the circle on two slabs of the same white stone. They were dressed in finest robes, their expressions peaceful rather than the looks of surprise and pain that had been on their faces when they'd died. In the space between the two remains, there was a small round black table with an impossibly thin leg, holding only a crystal bowl lined with runes.

Dumbledore then pricked his left index finger with a spell, and saying, "_Per is cruor Ego servo vos, per is veneficus Ego redimio vos_,"2 he let a drop of his blood fall into the bowl. Dumbledore stepped back and took his seat again, and one by one, each person rose from his or her seat and did the same. However, not everyone donated their blood – some people, like the twins and Percy, approached the silver bowl, and said instead, "_Licere vestri tutela exsisto exundo, licere vestri adnexus exsisto eternus_,"3 returning to their seats after.

Seeing that it would be his turn soon, Harry mindcalled Hermione for help. He hadn't thus far, because he thought it would be inappropriate to do so during a funeral, but he'd rather be scolded for inappropriate behaviour than for making a mistake in what appeared to be a complex ritual.

/ _Hermione, help! What am I supposed to do?_ _Do I have to donate my blood?_ /

Harry could almost feel Hermione's exasperation. No doubt Hermione wanted to rebuke him for not being prepared. Harry mentally scowled at her.

/ _You only donate your blood if you truly want to, Harry. The donor has to be completely willing for the ritual to be effective._ /

/ _Is that why the twins and Percy didn't prick their fingers?_ /

/ _They didn't probably because they didn't know Mrs Figg or Ms Jones well. The ritual requires ties between the deceased and the donor. If there are no ties, then the magic within the donated blood is useless. _/

/ _Oh. Thanks Hermione._ /

When it was her turn, Hermione did not donate her blood, since she didn't know them at all. Harry, however, was conflicted – Mrs Figg had been around pretty much all of his life thus far (while he was at Privet Drive at least), and although he didn't know her well, they had a connection, and he wanted to contribute to the ritual as a thanks for looking after him for all those years. However, Hestia Jones was someone he'd only met once, and rather briefly at that. Before he could do anything however, Dumbledore mindcalled him.

/ _Harry, do not donate your blood. _/

Harry looked over at Dumbledore in confusion. / _Why?_ /

/ _Because you are a Magus. _/

Frowning mentally at Dumbledore for his scarce explanation, he nonetheless listened to his Mentor and approaching the bowl, said instead, "_Licere vestri tutela exsisto exundo, licere vestri adnexus exsisto eternus_."

As soon as Harry sat down, Dumbledore stood up again. He stood still, as if waiting for a sign; then just when Harry was thinking of asking Hermione for help again, Dumbledore intoned, "_Terra ut terra, cinis cineris ut cinis cineris, pulvis ut pulvis. Sol solis orior oriri ortus indico denuo. Servo quod redimio eternus_."4 Dumbledore lifted up the crystal bowl and waved his hand over the brim. Right then, the sun began to rise, and Harry had to strengthen his shields to protect himself from the sudden onslaught of magic. The remains disappeared, along with the white slabs of stone, and two miniature white stone chests the size of Harry's palm appeared in their place. When Dumbledore tapped the crystal bowl with his wand, the two chests opened, and Harry could see them filling up with the blood from the bowl. When nothing remained within the bowl, the bowl along with the table disappeared, the two chests closed simultaneously, and a bright light surrounded the chests, sealing it as though the two separate parts of the chests were continuous. Dumbledore then took the chests and gave one to Madam Pince and the other to Professor Sprout. When they received them, the barrier around the perimeter of the circle fell, and the candles were extinguished.

That apparently was the end of the funeral, for everyone rose and the cylindrical stones then promptly vanished. People began to Apparate away after saying goodbye, and Harry spotted Professor Sprout and Madam Pince heading for the yellow cottage. Before he could wonder about that, Harry was given a Portkey – an ice lolly wrapper, this time – and disappeared.

* * *

Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape returned to Hogwarts directly – they, after all, had lots to do before September 1st – but the Weasleys, along with Harry and Hermione, arrived back at Headquarters.

Percy, after a stiff conversation with Arthur, awkwardly embraced Molly before leaving, saying he had things to do. Molly was insistent on cooking them all breakfast, and Ron's stomach growled loudly in agreement, breaking the tension that had formed after Percy's abrupt departure.

After a rather awkward breakfast, with Molly trying to act as if everything was fine and nobody believing a word of it, the Weasley men, except for Ron, left to go to work at Molly's insistence. When Ginny dragged her mum back to bed for rest, Ron headed up to his room to put finishing touches on his homework for Transfiguration after a scolding from Hermione for putting it off. Harry briefly wondered if Ron did things like that on purpose to irritate Hermione and give her reasons to scold him. Harry supposed it was a lot like pulling on a girl's pigtail if you liked her. Smiling at the mental image of ickle Ronniekins pulling ickle Hermione's frizzy hair, Harry leisurely headed towards the Black library to see if he could find anything about funerals and wizarding customs in general. He, after all, had nothing pressing left to do.

"Where are you going, Harry?"

"The library. I'm going to see if there are any books on wizarding customs, including funerals. It's about time I got to know this stuff. And don't you dare say I told you so!"

Looking at Harry proudly, Hermione grinned as she followed, wanting to clarify something she'd read about.

Unfortunately, there was scarcely any information they were looking for in the Black library. While Harry did find some interesting Dark rituals, there was nothing about the history, or the basic information regarding the funeral rites in general. Hermione scoured the library again, saying how impossible it was that a library this size wouldn't carry something as important as funeral rites.

Finally giving up, huffing with frustration, Hermione returned, and seeing the titles on the tomes Harry was devouring, scolded him. "Stop reading those books, Harry James Potter! They're called Dark for a reason."

"They're interesting, Hermione," Harry corrected. "It's not like _I'll_ ever use it, but the knowledge might come in handy someday."

Hermione just narrowed her eyes, as though her disapproval alone could stop Harry from reading – something she never thought she would willingly want to dissuade, as most of the time, she was trying to get the boys to _read_. Fortunately for Harry, he had finished them all, though he pretended to stop with a sigh, knowing he'd never hear the end of it from Hermione if she thought he'd read them all.

Satisfied, Hermione nodded once in approval. "You should check out the Hogwarts library, Harry. They'll have what you're looking for."

At Harry's look of askance, Hermione reluctantly admitted, "I, um… I looked it up, after Sirius -- after he died." Hermione, fearing Harry's reaction, quickly explained, "I thought you might want to know, in case -- just in case you… just in case-"

"It's okay, Hermione, really. I'm not upset," said Harry, interrupting Hermione's fumbling explanation.

"I -- really? You're not?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry with equal parts surprise and suspicion. She must have seen something on Harry's face, for Hermione, looking positively relieved, exclaimed, "I mean, that's great, Harry! That's -- that's wonderful!" before she grasped Harry in a tight hug.

Smiling, Harry gently pulled away so that he could breathe. "I'm going to check out the library at Hogwarts then. Want to come with me?"

* * *

Harry and Hermione then spent the rest of the day ensconced in the Hogwarts library. Hermione had started telling him everything she'd read about while they were searching for the necessary books, and Harry had ended up abandoning the search not even halfway through to just sit back and hear her lecture on. While it would definitely have been faster for Harry to go through all the books himself, Hermione had seemed so excited and happy to share her knowledge, much more so than she'd been lately, that Harry didn't have the heart to burst her bubble. Instead, he'd settled down and let her speak, only interjecting every now and then when he was confused about something, or to just clarify Hermione's oft long-winded and roundabout explanations.

Harry had been surprised to discover – though he really shouldn't have been – that the magic offered wizards and witches a protection that made them much harder to kill than the Muggles. Magic also allowed them to live for much longer. It made Harry understand a bit better about why pure-bloods were so adamantly against Muggle-borns, as the more magical strength a wizard or witch had, the longer they lived and the harder they became to kill. Still, a pure-blood wasn't necessarily magically stronger than a Muggle-born – Hermione, Harry knew, was much stronger magically than Ron, Ginny, or even Draco, though Harry was aware Draco's magical strength would likely increase as he grew into his scanner ability.

Hermione had long since left for the Order Headquarters. Harry was still researching, however, and the more he read, the angrier he became.

As Hermione had told him, wizarding funerals were all rather archaic. There were specific rituals for different classes of people – between men and women, children and adults, pure-bloods and not, magical and not… There were circumstances that demanded certain rituals be used and not others, and with such restrictions, were certain elements to be changed – for example, trying rites meant for a pure-blood when one was Muggle-born – the ritual itself would fail to work, and all the protections that came with the rites would be rendered utterly useless. And the protections were the only thing that kept the magic and the body of the deceased from being desecrated after their death. And considering how many ways blood, bone and, really, anything of a person's, could be used for ill, it was not surprising that wizarding folks, particularly pure-bloods, followed tradition to a T.

It was why Hermione had wanted to look up the rituals again. While Jones was a witch, Mrs Figg was a Squib, and as such, she couldn't have participated in that ritual. Harry had overheard Minerva talking to Madam Pomfrey yesterday about Mrs Figg's wishes to be buried in the wizarding world, a world she was still a part of, even if not wholly welcomed in. Hermione had thought Dumbledore might have done something to make it possible, though the ritual hadn't been changed at all. Hermione had left, puzzled and determined to find out more.

Still, traditions that barred good people like Remus from attending a funeral because he was a werewolf were ludicrous, Harry thought. So his blood may technically be "tainted", in the sense that it carried the werewolf curse. But that would have no impact on the effectiveness of the rituals themselves, since all they require is magic. Blood magic is the most powerful protection available because of the inherent magic available within the blood itself. Thus, the more people that donate the blood, the better and stronger the protection becomes. Of course, power of the witch or a wizard who donated their blood had a lot to do with it as well – a reason he'd been forbidden to donate his blood, because as a Magus, his blood had so much power that it would actually negatively affect the ritual, essentially voiding all the protective effects that would have been gained. It was a really interesting case of "too much of a good thing."

_Stupid archaic funerals with their exacting rules and heavy use of blood rites_, Harry grumbled to himself. How utterly unfair that magical creatures, such as werewolves, were not allowed to attend the services at all! Harry was busy looking for loopholes when he sensed a familiar presence.

"Remus! What are you doing here? I thought you weren't going to be back for awhile yet!" Harry closed the book he was reading and stood to hug Remus.

"I've been back for a few days already, actually, but you've been so busy lately that this is the first time I've gotten to see you. How are you?"

Harry met Remus's warm brown eyes and smiled genuinely at him. "Better. I'm doing loads better."

"I'm glad." Harry was enveloped in a tight hug again.

"So what are you doing in the library this late?"

"Oh, just reading a bunch of books on wizarding traditions, particularly funerals. I was at the service for Mrs Figg and Hestia Jones, but I had no idea what was going on. Hermione had to explain it all to me afterwards. It frustrated me as everyone once again knew something that I didn't, so I decided it was about time I learn these things already."

"I would have liked to have gone, but…"

Harry smiled sadly at Remus. "I, er, was thinking of having one for Sirius. But I want you to be able to come – you were important to Sirius, just as much as I was. I'm researching now to find a way-"

"You don't have to, Harry. I'm honoured you're even bothering with it. But it's alright, really. I got to spend a few more years with Sirius than I had previously thought I would. That's more than enough for me."

"But I want to. Let me do this, Remus, please. He'd want you there. And I do too."

Remus smiled fondly at Harry, his eyes glistening a little. "Okay."

"Good. Care to help me?"

* * *

1 By fire, by earth, by air, by water, by light, by dark, by life, by death, by spirit, by magic, bind this circle!

2 With this blood I protect you, with this magic I bind you,

3 May your protections be abound, may your bindings be eternal

4 Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The sun rises, heralding anew. Protect and bind everlasting.


End file.
